Careeroza

Method Overloading

Same Name, Different Parameters

Overloading means several methods with the same name but different parameter lists (number, type or order of parameters). Java picks the right one at compile time from the arguments.

Example

public class Main {
    static int add(int a, int b) {
        return a + b;
    }

    static double add(double a, double b) {
        return a + b;
    }

    static int add(int a, int b, int c) {
        return a + b + c;
    }

    static String add(String a, String b) {
        return a + " " + b;
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        System.out.println(add(2, 3));
        System.out.println(add(2.5, 3.1));
        System.out.println(add(1, 2, 3));
        System.out.println(add("Hello", "Java"));
    }
}

Output

5
5.6
6
Hello Java

What Counts as Overloading

Change	Valid overload?
different number of parameters	yes
different parameter types	yes
different order of types `(int, String)` vs `(String, int)`	yes
only the return type differs	no, compile error
only parameter names differ	no, compile error

Tip: System.out.println itself is overloaded: there are versions for int, double, char, String, Object and more.