gap
noun
\ ˈgap
\
\
Definition of gap
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a
: a break in a barrier (such as a wall, hedge, or line of military defense)
b
: an assailable position
2a
: a mountain pass
b
: ravine
3
: spark gap
4a
: a separation in space
b
: an incomplete or deficient area
a gap in her knowledge
5
: a break in continuity : hiatus
6
: a break in the vascular cylinder of a plant where a vascular trace departs from the central cylinder
7
: lack of balance : disparity
the gap between imports and exports
8
: a wide difference in character or attitude
the generation gap
9
: a problem caused by some disparity
a communication gap credibility gap
gap
verb
gapped;
gapping
Definition of gap (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: to make an opening in
2
: to adjust the space between the electrodes of (a spark plug)
: to fall or stand open
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Other Words from gap
Noun
gappy
\ ˈga-pē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms for gap
Synonyms: Noun
breach, break, discontinuity, gulf, hiatus, hole, interstice, interval, opening, rent, rift, separation, void
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Examples of gap in a Sentence
Noun
The child had a gap between her two front teeth. The gap between the lead runner and the rest of the field continued to widen. The sheep got through a gap in the fence. There are unexplained gaps in his story. The class filled in the gaps in my knowledge of biology. She had taken several years off to raise a family, so there was a large gap in her work history.
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
At the entrance, just off the road and past a gap in the fencing, a guard had each visitor sign in, a new protocol instituted by the state, to keep track of comings and goings for the purpose of potential contact investigations. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "The Message of Measles," 26 Aug. 2019 Working around our kid’s schedules and bridging gaps in the home and workplace is the mission of Bus Stop Mamas. — Lily Shaw, Twin Cities, "Startup Showcase: A new approach to balancing parenting and work," 25 Aug. 2019 Two of the canisters went through gaps in the barrier, hitting him in the stomach and on the right arm. — Austin Ramzy, BostonGlobe.com, "In Hong Kong, a backlash over 1,800 rounds of tear gas," 24 Aug. 2019 Skyler McCurine has been providing practical steps, responses and strategies for others to help close these gaps in pay through self-advocacy and negotiation. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Taking what she learned about self-advocacy and sharing it with others to close the gender pay gap," 24 Aug. 2019 However, the Muskateers found a gap in the offensive line and forced the Araradian to fumble. — Burbank Leader, "Burbank football misses opportunities in loss to Moorpark," 23 Aug. 2019 This included postponing state elections in Kashmir to create a gap in local leadership. — New York Times, "India’s Move in Kashmir: More Than 2,000 Rounded Up With No Recourse," 23 Aug. 2019 More than a dozen laws were enacted after the newsroom highlighted significant problems, troublesome trends or gaps in the safety net. — oregonlive.com, "Journalistic impact can be measured in new laws, proposed reforms: Editor’s notebook," 23 Aug. 2019 Her family can trace its roots no further than the early 1800s; before that, the trail goes cold, leaving a 175-year gap in a genealogical chain to William. — USA Today, "The founding family you’ve never heard of: The black Tuckers of Hampton, Virginia," 22 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Stephen Giatrelis still has gaping holes on the calendar for his Hyannis waterfront luxury house. — Stephanie Ebbert, BostonGlobe.com, "Cape Cod rentals are having an unexpectedly slow summer," 28 July 2019 With important road matches against Portland, Atlanta and D.C. up next, the Galaxy could find themselves with a gaping hole in their garage for the time being, one that could require multiple Fiats to overperform in the interim. — Avi Creditor, SI.com, "The MLS XI, Week 20: Zlatan, Portland vs. Seattle and Games That Just Mean More," 22 July 2019 Cornerback Pierre Desir, a breakout player in Eberflus’ defense last season, signed back on in the first few days, allowing the Colts to avoid a gaping hole at the cornerback position. — Joel A. Erickson, Indianapolis Star, "Colts' offseason: 7 key steps for Indianapolis as team tries to go from good to great," 20 July 2019 Thursday afternoon, workers tried to hold down a large blue tarp blowing in the wind on the side of a three-story apartment building, exposing a gaping hole in the wall two stories high. — Libby Solomon, baltimoresun.com, "Lightning strike causes partial wall collapse at Owings Mills apartment complex," 18 July 2019 There is one gaping hole in the hopeful vision evoked by these ideas: India’s woeful lack of the institutions and governance needed to oversee such efforts and manage the water supply soundly, according to rules that are enforced. — National Geographic, "India’s water crisis could be helped by better building, planning," 15 July 2019 The gaping hole at Bisbee’s edge that was once the Lavender Pit copper mine is a constant reminder the area’s mining history. — Washington Post, "Film airing on PBS recalls city’s dark deportation history," 14 July 2019 The cyber-story of the week was the discovery of a gaping security hole in video conferencing software, Zoom. — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, "In Apple We Trust—Cyber Saturday," 13 July 2019 Stones were kicked out of walls, leaving gaping holes. — New York Times, "Central Park’s Castle Gets a $12 Million Fairy-Tale Makeover," 12 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gap.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for gap
gap
noun
English Language Learners Definition of gap
: a space between two people or things
: a hole or space where something is missing