gap

1 of 2

noun

ˈgap 

1

a

: a break in a barrier (such as a wall, hedge, or line of military defense)

b

: an assailable position

2

a

: a mountain pass

b

: ravine

3

: spark gap

4

a

: a separation in space

b

: an incomplete or deficient area

a gap in her knowledge

5

: a break in continuity : hiatus

6

: a break in the vascular cylinder of a plant where a vascular trace departs from the central cylinder

7

: lack of balance : disparity

the gap between imports and exports

8

: a wide difference in character or attitude

the generation gap

9

: a problem caused by some disparity

a communication gap

credibility gap

gappy

ˈga-pē 

adjective

gap

2 of 2

verb

gapped; gapping

transitive verb

1

: to make an opening in

2

: to adjust the space between the electrodes of (a spark plug)

intransitive verb

: to fall or stand open

Synonyms

Noun

• breach
• break
• discontinuity
• gulf
• hiatus
• hole
• interstice
• interval
• opening
• rent
• rift
• separation
• void

Examples of gap in a Sentence

Noun

The child had a gap between her two front teeth.

The gap between the lead runner and the rest of the field continued to widen.

The sheep got through a gap in the fence.

There are unexplained gaps in his story.

The class filled in the gaps in my knowledge of biology.

She had taken several years off to raise a family, so there was a large gap in her work history.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

How policymakers should respond depends on whether the capabilities gap between open and closed models is shrinking or widening. —Tharin Pillay, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024

That gap also falls within the poll's margin of error of 4.7 percent. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024

Verb

Conversely, if the numbers disappoint, the stock can easily gap down. —Adam Sarhan, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024

The stretchy pants didn’t gap at the waist on any of our testers across a variety of sizes, shapes, and heights. —Cai Cramer, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gap, gappe, borrowed from Old Norse gap "chasm, outcry," noun derivative of gapa "to gape entry 1"

Verb

derivative of gap entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1879, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing gap

• bridge the gap
• close the gap
• credibility gap
• gap junction
• gap-toothed
• gap year
• generation gap
• spark gap
• trade gap
• water gap
• wind gap

Kids Definition

gap

noun

ˈgap

1

: a break in a barrier

2

a

: a mountain pass

b

: ravine

3

: a space or separation : a break in continuity

gaps in your story

a gap where the tooth had been

4

: a wide difference (as in amount, character, or attitude)

a wage gap

Medical Definition

gap

noun

ˈgap 

: a break in continuity especially of structure : hiatus