To overlap is to cover part of the same area or time as something else, or to share some of the same features.
From “over” and “lap,” where *lap* meant “to fold or lie over.” Originally used for physical objects covering each other, it later grew to ideas, schedules, and roles.
Overlap is where differences meet—two circles on a Venn diagram sharing a middle space. Most real‑life categories overlap more than we admit, which is why people and problems rarely fit in just one box.
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