overlap

American  

[oh-ver-lap, oh-ver-lap] / ˌoʊ vərˈlæp, ˈoʊ vərˌlæp /

verb (used with object)

• overlaps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• overlapped,
  past participle,  past
• overlapping
  present participle

1. to lap over (something else or each other); extend over and cover a part of; imbricate.

2. to cover and extend beyond (something else).

   The ends of cloth overlap the table.

3. to coincide in part with; have in common with.

   two lives that overlapped each other.

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verb (used without object)

• overlaps,
  present (3rd person singular)
• overlapped,
  past participle,  past
• overlapping
  present participle

1. to lap over.

   two sales territories that overlap; fields of knowledge that overlap.

noun

• overlaps
  plural

1. an act or instance of overlapping.

2. the extent or amount of overlapping.

   The second story of the building has an overlap of ten feet.

3. an overlapping part.

4. the place of overlapping.

5. (in yacht racing) the position of two yachts side by side such that the overtaking boat, to pass the other on the opposite side, must fall back, or such that neither can turn toward the other without danger of collision.

overlap British  

verb

1. (of two things) to extend or lie partly over (each other)

2. to cover and extend beyond (something)

3. (intr) to coincide partly in time, subject, etc

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noun

1. a part that overlaps or is overlapped

2. the amount, length, etc, overlapping

3. the act or fact of overlapping

4. a place of overlapping

5. geology the horizontal extension of the upper beds in a series of rock strata beyond the lower beds, usually caused by submergence of the land

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonoverlapping
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• overlaps
  plural

Participles

• overlapping
  present
• overlapped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• overlap
  simple
• overlaps
  simple
• have overlapped
  perfect
• has overlapped
  perfect
• am overlapping
  progressive
• are overlapping
  progressive
• is overlapping
  progressive
• have been overlapping
  perfect progressive
• has been overlapping
  perfect progressive

Past

• overlapped
  simple
• had overlapped
  perfect
• was overlapping
  progressive
• were overlapping
  progressive
• had been overlapping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will overlap
  simple
• will have overlapped
  perfect
• will be overlapping
  progressive
• will have been overlapping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of overlap

First recorded in 1685–95; over- + lap ²

Explanation

When things overlap, part or all of one thing covers part or all of the other, like roofing shingles or flat noodles in a lasagna dish. Not only can things overlap, but schedules can, too. If you accidentally schedule your doctor's appointment and your dentist appointment at the same time, they overlap, which is unfortunate because you can't be in two places at once. Philosophies and perspectives overlap when they share certain points or ideas in common.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

overlap overlaps overlapped overlapping

Some qualifications that overlap with newer technical qualifications, such as T-levels, have had funding withdrawn, while others have been retained.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

All the same, the fatty acid profile of tallow does overlap with some lipids found in human skin and sebum, including palmitic, stearic and oleic acids.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

There is some overlap between the fund’s holdings and those of the Teton Westwood Mighty Mites Fund, which typically buys shares of companies with valuations of up to $500 million at initial purchase.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Calculations involving proton vibrational wavefunction overlap integrals supported this interpretation.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026

Some of the tunnels overlap, and at one point they’re above, beside, and below us.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

The salmonella outbreak overlaps with the nation’s largest-ever cyclospora outbreak, tied to shredded iceberg lettuce, that has sickened thousands of people over the past several weeks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

But even if “Sheep in the Box” overlaps with these memorable movies, this story would seem an ideal opportunity for Kore-eda to revisit a favorite subject: how loss can linger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Although it overlaps with Christianity and Judaism, civil religion draws on the scientific and secular contributions that have also informed America’s public institutions, going beyond the “doctrines of any particular church.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

However, the timing of the bombardment overlaps with a period of widespread cooling and major biological changes, raising the possibility that the impacts affected the planet's environment.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026

Nokomis cut new bark, made fancy overlaps and rain diversion flaps.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Instead the shocks have persisted and overlapped with a newer one, a surge in prices for technology equipment and software tied to the artificial-intelligence build-out.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

The roles overlapped, but Robb and the mayor’s office insisted there was a firewall between Robb and the mayor regarding the Lineage fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

The tertulias at Alemana became the space where artists, journalists, and drunks overlapped freely.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

During Trump's first term, the US president and former Brazilian president Bolsonaro enjoyed a friendly relationship when their presidencies overlapped, and the two had met at the White House in 2019.

From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026

He had no visible mouth, his smile discernible only as a ripple where his dandelion-fluff mustache overlapped his beard.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Species that live this way form colonies containing overlapping generations, cooperate in raising young and divide reproductive responsibilities.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 15, 2026

One of the goals of the merger is to shave costs by consolidating overlapping business divisions and back-office functions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

The Journal only looked at ratings that were in effect during overlapping periods and used discrete, nine-character identifiers—known as Cusip numbers—to identify debt instruments that were rated by both Egan-Jones and a competitor.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

"If online content is flooded with overlapping AI labels and legal disclosures, it becomes harder for people to get the clear context they need," Massin added.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Despite differences in style, the three men worked well together and even shared an overlapping membership, with some of the milder members of C.P.'s organization forming the radical wing of High’s and Keith’s groups.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson