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
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
gapped; gapping
1
: to make an opening in
2
: to adjust the space between the electrodes of (a spark plug)
: to fall or stand open
Synonyms
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
Zak Doffman, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
The gap between a benchmark’s introduction and its saturation has decreased significantly in recent years.
—Tharin Pillay, TIME, 24 Dec. 2024
Adam Sarhan, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Furthermore, the stock is perched below resistance and can easily gap up to new highs if earnings are strong.
—Adam Sarhan, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gap 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The gap is still too wide and there remain critical issues in cloud AI privacy and Android malware to overcome.
—Zak Doffman, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
The gap between a benchmark’s introduction and its saturation has decreased significantly in recent years.
—Tharin Pillay, TIME, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
The stock is prone to big moves after reporting earnings and can easily gap up if the numbers are strong.
—Adam Sarhan, Forbes, 19 Dec. 2024
Furthermore, the stock is perched below resistance and can easily gap up to new highs if earnings are strong.
—Adam Sarhan, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gap
Dictionary Entries Near gap
Cite this Entry
“Gap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gap. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share