gap year

American  

[gap yeer] / ˈgæp ˌjɪər /

noun

• gap years
  plural

1. a period of time, usually an academic or calendar year, in which a student takes a break from school to travel, work, or volunteer, typically after ending high school and before starting college.

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gap year British  

noun

1. a year's break taken by a student between leaving school and starting further education

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• gap years
  plural

Etymology

Origin of gap year

First recorded in 1975–80; gap ( def. ) + year ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gap year

He took what he described as a gap year, living in student housing with friends from college.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

At first, he wanted to take a gap year after his A-levels so did not apply for university, but was persuaded to go by family and friends after achieving "great grades".

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

The urgency he feels to build his startup, which aims to bring open-source models offline and onto local devices, made him decide to take a gap year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Catherine was also said to have many happy memories of Italy, having spent part of a gap year in Florence after leaving school.

From BBC ● May 12, 2026

“I’m going to take a gap year and go to Europe.”

From "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah