Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To lie or extend over and cover part of.
  • intransitive verb To have an area or range in common with.
  • intransitive verb To lie over and partly cover something.
  • intransitive verb To correspond in character or function.
  • intransitive verb Mathematics To have one or more elements in common. Used of sets.
  • noun A part or portion that overlaps or is overlapped.
  • noun An instance of overlapping.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To lap or fold over; extend so as to lie or rest upon: as, one slate on a roof overlaps another.
  • To cause to lap or fold over: as, to overlap slates or shingles on a roof.
  • noun The lapping of one thing over another; also, the thing or part which overlaps; specifically, in geology, a disposition of the strata such that newer or more recent members of a formation lap over or are deposited beyond the limits of the older beds.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To lay (one thing) over another; to lap.
  • transitive verb To cover part of.
  • intransitive verb To be arranged so that a part of one object laying over part of another.
  • intransitive verb To have the ending time of one period or process extend beyond the beginning time of another period or process.
  • noun The lapping of one thing over another
  • noun (Geol.) An extension of geological beds above and beyond others, as in a conformable series of beds, when the upper beds extend over a wider space than the lower, either in one or in all directions.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb To extend over and partly cover something.
  • verb To have an area, range, character or function in common.
  • verb mathematics Used of sets that have some elements in common.
  • noun Something that overlaps or is overlapped
  • noun rugby a situation in the game where an attacking line has more players in it than the defensive line coming to meet it. The attacking side may exploit the overlap by using their superior numbers to break the opposition's defensive line. If attackers outnumber defenders by more than one player this is often termed a two man overlap or three man overlap, etc. If the attacking side fails to break through usually due to poor execution, they are said to waste an overlap.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb extend over and cover a part of
  • noun the property of partial coincidence in time
  • verb coincide partially or wholly
  • noun a flap that lies over another part
  • noun a representation of common ground between theories or phenomena

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

over- +‎ lap

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