gap

[ gap ]

/ gæp /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: gap / gapped / gapping / gaps 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.

OTHER WORDS FOR gap

2 pause, interstice, break, interlude, lull.

See synonyms for gap on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of gap

1350–1400; Middle English <Old Norse gap chasm

OTHER WORDS FROM gap

gapless, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use gap in a sentence

I was getting in a depressed mood for the next day, because I was just thinking about the gap.
Scientists Uncover the Universal Geometry of Geology|Joshua Sokol|November 19, 2020|Quanta Magazine
Now, we have that gap, as you mentioned, between Kieboom and García and these A-ball type players.
The Nationals’ best position player prospects are a few years away. But they’re out there.|Jesse Dougherty|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
A gap of months or even years sometimes happens even in the letter-writing of good friends.
The Synchronicity of Wolfgang Pauli and Carl Jung - Issue 93: Forerunners|Paul Halpern|November 18, 2020|Nautilus
“Although there are some significant question marks and gaps, overall this is a big step forward for tackling the climate emergency,” Newsom said.
Facing an epic recession, Britain unveils its ‘green industrial revolution’ to jumpstart economy, create jobs|Bernhard Warner|November 18, 2020|Fortune

FlipTheSenateThat number is not enough to close the gap between either Democrat Jon Ossoff and the Republican incumbent, Senator David Perdue, or Democrat Raphael Warnock and his Republican opponent, Senator Kelly Loeffler.
The race to get Georgia’s 23,000 17-year-olds registered to vote|Tanya Basu|November 15, 2020|MIT Technology Review
She plays, she races into school, she flashes her gapped teeth.
Family of Olivia Engel, Lost in Newtown, Remembers Their Daughter|Matthew DeLuca|December 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Pretty soon he gapped and stretched himself and hove off the blanket, and it was Miss Watson's Jim!
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Complete|Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Other facts show that the "gapped" branches did not behave quite normally.
Makers of British Botany; a collection of biographies by living botanists|Various
Oswald's hairs, as you can see here, have some gapped areas in there but not too many.
Warren Commission (4 of 26): Hearings Vol. IV (of 15)|The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
Outside the fence he halted and looked about him, then he looked back over the gapped and broken palings.
Those Times And These|Irvin S. Cobb
In the mouths of both were the formidable navajas, "gapped" by recent rough usage and pointless.
The Treasure of Pearls|Gustave Aimard

British Dictionary definitions for gap

gap

/ (ɡæp) /

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 forms of gap

gapless, adjectivegappy, adjective

Word Origin for gap

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

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