verb
overlap
oh-vuh-LAP
verb
1
To extend over part of something else, partly covering it.
"The tiles are laid so each one overlaps the next."
2
To share part of the same time, space, or subject matter with something else.
"Our shifts overlap by about an hour, so we can hand things over properly."
"Their research interests overlap quite a bit."
noun
1
A part shared in common, or the act of overlapping.
"There's a lot of overlap between the two job descriptions."
How to Use Overlap
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTwo things partly covering, sharing, or coinciding with each other.
Common pairings
overlap with
significant overlap
overlapping shifts
Word Forms
overlapped past tense, overlaps plural, overlaps singular
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Etymology
From over- + lap (in the sense of one thing folding or lying over another); related to Dutch overlap.