chasm

[ kaz-uh m ]

/ ˈkæz əm /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR chasm ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a yawning fissure or deep cleft in the earth's surface; gorge.

a breach or wide fissure in a wall or other structure.

a marked interruption of continuity; gap: a chasm in time.

a sundering breach in relations, as a divergence of opinions, beliefs, etc., between persons or groups.

Words nearby chasm

chase mortise, chaser, chasid, chasing, chasles, chasm, chasmogamous, chasmogamy, chasse gardée, chassepot, chasseur

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

OTHER WORDS FROM chasm

chas·mal, chas·mic, adjectivechasmed, adjectivechasm·y, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for chasm

Over the next few years, a chasm would open up between the Party and the KGB, culminating with the failed coup in August 1991.
How the Fall of the Berlin Wall Radicalized Putin|Masha Gessen|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The result in all three cases is a chasm between image and performance that magnifies the narrative of dashed expectations.
Even the Most Powerful Man in the World Is at the Mercy of the IT Guy|Jill Lawrence|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the middle, a chasm so wide that I have no idea, 20 years later, how we will ever bridge it.
India’s Shameful Day: Dec. 6, 1992|Dilip D’Souza|December 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The fourth reality is a technological gap in voter mobilization; more accurately the gap is a chasm.
The GOP Faces Years in the Wilderness After 2012 Election Losses|Robert Shrum|November 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It was Netanyahu who opened up the chasm, going so far as to publicly press the U.S. to change its policy.
Daylight And The Peace Process|Ali Gharib|October 9, 2012|DAILY BEAST
There is a chasm between the consideration of letting Australia or letting India go, which is too wide to be bridged.
Practical Politics; or, the Liberalism of To-day|Alfred Farthing Robbins
To the one who thinks the weather is Anxiety never yet successfully bridged over any chasm.
The Girl Wanted|Nixon Waterman
He was seen to run a few paces back from the edge of the chasm, and then turning suddenly, set his body for the spring.
The Forest Exiles|Mayne Reid
As far as the eye can reach is a sea of green tree-tops, with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm.
Dracula|Bram Stoker
We look to the east and then to the west, but we see only a small part of the chasm.
The Lure of the Camera|Charles S. Olcott

British Dictionary definitions for chasm

chasm

/ (ˈkæzəm) /

noun

a deep cleft in the ground; abyss

a break in continuity; gap

a wide difference in interests, feelings, etc

Derived forms of chasm

chasmal (ˈkæzməl) or chasmic, adjective

Word Origin for chasm

C17: from Latin chasma, from Greek khasma; related to Greek khainein to gape

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

chasm

noun

Words related to chasm

Words nearby chasm

Origin of chasm

OTHER WORDS FROM chasm

Examples from the Web for chasm

British Dictionary definitions for chasm

noun

Derived forms of chasm

Word Origin for chasm