overlap

American  

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

verb (used with object)

overlapped, overlapping

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)

overlapped, overlapping

1. to lap over.

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

noun

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

• nonoverlapping adjective

Etymology

Origin of overlap

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

Example Sentences

It’s now simple routine, but that overlap of food and dance isn’t something I ever would have predicted.

From Salon

Given the narrative and thematic overlap between “Goodbye June” and “The Chronology of Water,” this dissonance is even more curious.

From Salon

She is currently working on "the first English shield wall", in which nine soldiers are standing close together with overlapping shields.

From BBC

The definitional creep of what we now consider middle age—pushed back, perhaps, because of the increasing delay in starting families—means that it often overlaps with the territory of old age.

From The Wall Street Journal

In turn, each player makes a distinct statement, yet these are concise and never without context; they sound less like solos than smart, overlapping dialogue.

From The Wall Street Journal