gap

[gap]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gap ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a break or opening, as in a fence, wall, or military line; breach: We found a gap in the enemy's line of fortifications.

an empty space or interval; interruption in continuity; hiatus: a momentary gap in a siren's wailing; a gap in his memory.

a wide divergence or difference; disparity: the gap between expenses and income; the gap between ideals and actions.

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.

a deep, sloping ravine or cleft through a mountain ridge.

Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S. a mountain pass: the Cumberland Gap.

Aeronautics. the distance between one supporting surface of an airplane and another above or below it.

verb (used with object), gapped, gap·ping.

to make a gap, opening, or breach in.

verb (used without object), gapped, gap·ping.

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

Origin of gap

1350–1400; Middle English < Old Norse gap chasm

Related formsgap·less, adjective

Synonyms for gap

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR gap ON THESAURUS.COM

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

Hautes-Alpes

[oht-zalp]

noun

a department in SE France. 2179 sq. mi. (5645 sq. km). Capital: Gap.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for gap

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 of gap

But most of this gap, say the researchers who carried out the study, is due to discrimination.
How Good Dads Can Change the World
Gary Barker, PhD, Michael Kaufman
January 6, 2015
The best, or at least most successful, are bridging the gap between punk-rock DIY ethos and social-media savvy.
On Tour With The Head and the Heart, Indie Rock’s Next Big Thing
James Joiner
December 17, 2014
This year the GOP closed that gap—and one all-female consulting firm is a big reason why.
Surprise! The GOP Closed the Gender Gap
Patricia Murphy
December 10, 2014
In what he saw as divine intervention, a gap opened in the crowd and the car gunned through it.
‘Argo’ in the Congo: The Ghosts of the Stanleyville Hostage Crisis
Nina Strochlic
November 23, 2014
Near the confluence of these two rivers a tiny bridge spans the gap connecting the Korengal with the Pech.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley
Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman
November 15, 2014

Historical Examples of gap

There was a gap in the conversation, which Clennam devoted to winding up his watch.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
It is all very well for us to be rich, but money simply enlarges the gap.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
Besides, I was wrong when I said that money opened a gap between people.
The Three Cities Trilogy, Complete
Emile Zola
Through this gap we rode, and I shouted loudly for Saxon to join us.
Micah Clarke
Arthur Conan Doyle
I sought for a man that should stand in the gap before Me, and found none.
The Ministry of Intercession
Andrew Murray

British Dictionary definitions for gap

gap

noun

a break or opening in a wall, fence, etc

a break in continuity; interruption; hiatusthere is a serious gap in the accounts

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

mainly US a gorge or ravine

a divergence or difference; disparitythere is a gap between his version of the event and hers; the generation gap

electronics

a break in a magnetic circuit that increases the inductance and saturation point of the circuit
See spark gap

bridge a gap, close a gap, fill a gap or stop a gap to remedy a deficiency

verb gaps, gapping or gapped

(tr) to make a breach or opening in

Derived Formsgapless, adjectivegappy, adjective

Word Origin for gap

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

Hautes-Alpes

noun

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)

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

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.

gap in Medicine

gap

[găp]

n.

An opening in a structure or surface; a cleft or breach.

An interval or discontinuity in any series or sequence.