gap

American  

[gap] / gæp /

noun

• gaps
  plural

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.

   Synonyms:

   lull, interlude, break, interstice, pause

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, gapping

1. to make a gap, opening, or breach in.

verb (used without object)

gapped, gapping

1. to come open or apart; form or show a gap.

gap British  

/ ɡæp /

noun

1. a break or opening in a wall, fence, etc

2. a break in continuity; interruption; hiatus

   there is a serious gap in the accounts

3. a break in a line of hills or mountains affording a route through

4. a gorge or ravine

5. a divergence or difference; disparity

   there 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. to remedy a deficiency

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verb

1. (tr) to make a breach or opening in

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• gapless
  adjective
• gappy
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• gaps
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gap

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old Norse: “chasm”; akin to Old Norse gapa “to open the mouth wide” ( see gape ( def. ))

Explanation

A gap is the space between two things. It can be physical (like "the gap between your two front teeth") or philosophical (like "the generation gap" between you and your parents). Gap is a small word that packs a lot; it can be used in a straightforward manner: in England, the signs in the subway station say, "Mind the gap" — in hopes that passengers will not wander into the space between the train and the platform. The American retailer, "The Gap," is said to have taken its name from the generation gap. The clothes were designed for teenagers and young adults, and therefore nothing your middle-aged parents would be caught dead in. Times change.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gap gaps gapped gapping

For 10 years he’s covered the gap himself, supplemented by donations and buoyed by a 2025 segment on CBS 8 San Diego that brought in $12,000.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

The gap makes a durable dialogue—the kind that might keep the competition from spiraling into a crisis neither government is prepared to manage—a tall order.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

This has the effect of closing the gap between the professional military and the civilian population.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, Google Gemini is gaining share on ChatGPT for AI services, Mahaney said, with the gap between the two narrowing to 3 percentage points among survey respondents.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

There was a locked door and a window cracked open, wisps of fragrant steam curling from the gap.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros

In rotating, players are encouraged to maintain the side's shape by swapping zones with their team-mates – filling gaps as they arise.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

That added sensitivity could help astronomers discover more planets during their earliest stages of formation and close one of the biggest observational gaps in exoplanet science.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

A Navy investigation identified fatigue, stress, undermanning, training gaps and leadership failures among the ship’s crew.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

“We do not dispute the gaps on several benchmarks,” Nathanson said of Gemini’s performance.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026

They used leftover pieces to smooth out some other small gaps and bumps in my face and prepared it for the next operation in a few years.

From "Ugly" by Robert Hoge

Intel gapped up 24% on April 24 following a well-received earnings report, breaking out of a bull flag.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

I gapped the tappets and points, checked the oil, flipped the choke, hit the starter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 4, 2025

Earlier this week, SPX gapped higher on the end-of-the-shutdown rally.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 13, 2025

The rouble gapped down to a 15-month low in Moscow.

From Reuters ● Jun. 26, 2023

The box was much too small, and the boards gapped in places.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

That setup broke out at the very round $300 level on Feb. 18, with shares gapping higher by 16%.

From Barron's ● May 27, 2026

Barkley tallied on a 13-yard run through a gapping hole for New York’s TD.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 4, 2022

The pitching wedge in the set is 47 degeres, bent nearly 3 degrees strong to help with yardage gapping as he also carries a 47-degree TaylorMade Tour Preferred EF wedge.

From Golf Digest ● Oct. 16, 2013

Their philosophy was to keep blockers off Urlacher with big, two gapping defensive linemen. 

From Chicago Tribune ● May 24, 2013

Cade Hernandez raised his right hand in front of his chin, nodding confidently and gapping his thumb and index finger about three-fourths of an inch.

From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith

Related Words

• chasm
• crack
• cut
• difference
• disagreement
• disparity
• divergence
• divide
• division
• hole
• inconsistency
• rift
• void