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gap

[gap]
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noun
  1. a break or opening, as in a fence, wall, or military line; breach: We found a gap in the enemy's line of fortifications.
  2. an empty space or interval; interruption in continuity; hiatus: a momentary gap in a siren's wailing; a gap in his memory.
  3. a wide divergence or difference; disparity: the gap between expenses and income; the gap between ideals and actions.
  4. a difference or disparity in attitudes, perceptions, character, or development, or a lack of confidence or understanding, perceived as creating a problem: the technology gap; a communications gap.
  5. a deep, sloping ravine or cleft through a mountain ridge.
  6. Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a mountain pass: the Cumberland Gap.
  7. Aeronautics. the distance between one supporting surface of an airplane and another above or below it.
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verb (used with object), gapped, gap·ping.
  1. to make a gap, opening, or breach in.
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verb (used without object), gapped, gap·ping.
  1. to come open or apart; form or show a gap.
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Origin of gap

1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse gap chasm
Related formsgap·less, adjective

Synonyms

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2. pause, interstice, break, interlude, lull.

Hautes-Alpes

[oht-zalp]
noun
  1. a department in SE France. 2179 sq. mi. (5645 sq. km). Capital: Gap.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

rift, cut, divide, division, disagreement, void, crack, divergence, disparity, chasm, hole, difference, inconsistency, interruption, interstice, recess, gully, defile, rest, hollow

Examples from the Web for gap

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

British Dictionary definitions for gap

gap

noun
  1. a break or opening in a wall, fence, etc
  2. a break in continuity; interruption; hiatusthere is a serious gap in the accounts
  3. a break in a line of hills or mountains affording a route through
  4. mainly US a gorge or ravine
  5. a divergence or difference; disparitythere is a gap between his version of the event and hers; the generation gap
  6. electronics
    1. a break in a magnetic circuit that increases the inductance and saturation point of the circuit
    2. See spark gap
  7. bridge a gap, close a gap, fill a gap or stop a gap to remedy a deficiency
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verb gaps, gapping or gapped
  1. (tr) to make a breach or opening in
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Derived Formsgapless, adjectivegappy, adjective

Word Origin

C14: from Old Norse gap chasm; related to gapa to gape, Swedish gap, Danish gab open mouth, opening

Hautes-Alpes

noun
  1. a department of SE France in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Capital: Gap. Pop: 126 810 (2003 est). Area: 5643 sq km (2201 sq miles)
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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

Word Origin and History for gap

n.

early 14c. (mid-13c. in place names), from Old Norse gap "chasm," related to gapa "to gape," from PIE *ghai- "to yawn, gape" (see yawn (v.)). Originally "hole in a wall or hedge;" broader sense is 16c. In U.S., common in place names in reference to a break or pass in a long mountain chain (especially one that water flows through). As a verb from 1847.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
gap in Medicine

gap

(găp)
n.
  1. An opening in a structure or surface; a cleft or breach.
  2. An interval or discontinuity in any series or sequence.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.