bridge the gap
Americanidiom
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to create a connection between things that are separated either physically or metaphorically.
The mentorship program helps bridge the gap between middle school and high school.
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to fill in a gap or lack, as of time, money, understanding, or opportunity.
Student loans allow many to bridge the gap and be able to afford a college education.
Etymology
Origin of bridge the gap
First recorded in 1855–60, in the literal sense
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.
A one-week contract can pay thousands of dollars, which can help bridge the gap between land-based gigs.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
“The plan is knowing what you have and what you need, and then figuring out how to bridge the gap between those two things,” she said.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026
The four-hour batteries will help bridge the gap during hours when the sun doesn’t shine, while the gas-and-steam plant will make up for the rest.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 20, 2026
Roughly 1.1 million barrels per day of imports are at risk, according to JPMorgan, but inventories remain sufficient to bridge the gap in the near term.
From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026
They wanted to feel the past once again, to bridge the gap to that time forty years earlier when the slithery moves of Santone Townsend had swelled their hearts like nothing else.
From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger
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.
