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.

---

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

---

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

It will "lose a few million" if Poundland becomes insolvent, so it will have a gap in its balance sheet next year, he said.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

The law fills this gap by authorizing prosecutors to seek criminal complaints.

From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026

While mobile carriers are helping bridge that gap now, with generous trade-in and financing offers to help customers get new iPhones, that could change.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

It ended up in a drawdown of 53%, so the declines after the yield gap between those two grades of junk bonds reached 8% were not that much worse.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026

His wide smile exposed the gap between his top center teeth.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Separate projects are using ancient environmental DNA to help fill gaps in historical specimen records.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 3, 2026

And this response gap was significantly worse for companies with the biggest translation gaps in their public reports, the researchers found.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

UnidosUS’ survey found significant gender gaps between Latino men and women.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

Though he'd already started keeping supplies, "there were numerous gaps in what I had prepared for," he says.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 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

After all, hyperscalers are doing the heavy lifting, not the relatively “tiny” segment of AI companies with below investment-grade credit ratings, where spreads have gapped out considerably, he said.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

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

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

From Reuters ● Jun. 26, 2023

It was a hatchet; not sight but touch told him —a hatchet with a heavy worn handle and a heavy gapped rust-dulled blade.

From "Absalom, Absalom!" by William Faulkner

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

This climate allows adhesive to dry more quickly and prevents gapping between freshly placed boards.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 5, 2022

Reed’s wedges have a five-degree gapping between them, a system he has favored for a number of years.

From Golf Digest ● Apr. 8, 2018

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

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

---