chasm
Americannoun
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a yawning fissure or deep cleft in the earth's surface; gorge.
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a breach or wide fissure in a wall or other structure.
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a marked interruption of continuity; gap.
a chasm in time.
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a sundering breach in relations, as a divergence of opinions, beliefs, etc., between persons or groups.
noun
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a deep cleft in the ground; abyss
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a break in continuity; gap
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a wide difference in interests, feelings, etc
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of chasm
1590–1600; apocopated variant of chasma < Latin < Greek, equivalent to cha- (root of chaínein to gape; see yawn) + -( a ) sma resultative suffix
Explanation
A chasm is a deep divide, either literal or figurative, such as a giant chasm in an ice cap or the growing chasm between two friends who haven't spoken in a long time. The first syllable in chasm sounds like cat without the t sound: "CA-zum." It comes from the Greek word khasma, meaning "yawning hollow, gulf" and was originally used to describe a split in a land formation, such as a deep crack caused by an earthquake. The word still retains that sense, but today can also mean "a profound division between people or beliefs," such as a chasm between Republicans and Democrats.
Vocabulary lists containing chasm
The Lightning Thief
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Geological Features
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The City of Ember
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When Chasm One was seen to come back to life, the decision was taken to shift Halley 23km "upstream" - a task completed in early 2017.
From BBC • Jan. 24, 2023
What follows is much silliness and much doom: the Forest of Doom, the River of Doom, the Chasm of Doom and the Mountains of Doom.
From New York Times • Feb. 25, 2022
The boys — Khasan Al-Mateen, who is African American, and Cooper Chasm, who is Korean American — were eager, particularly during the isolation of the coronavirus pandemic, to keep shooting hoops in their driveways.
From Washington Post • Nov. 28, 2021
As with the Giulia, the Stelvio’s prices start modestly and then take a flying leap into the Chasm of Insanity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 15, 2018
Somewhere on Ragnarok, on the northwest side of a range similar to the Craig Mountains on the plateau, is a deep valley that the Dunbar Expedition called the Chasm.
From Space Prison by Godwin, Tom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
