A gap is a space between two things or a hole in the middle of something solid.
He pulled the thick curtains together, leaving just a narrow gap.
...the wind tearing through gaps in the window frames.
Synonyms: opening, space, hole, break More Synonyms of gap
2. countable noun
A gap is a period of time when you are not busy or when you stop doing something that you normally do.
There followed a gap of four years, during which William joined the Army. [+ of]
Synonyms: interval, pause, recess, interruption More Synonyms of gap
3. countable noun
If there is something missing from a situation that prevents it being complete or satisfactory, you can say that there is a gap.
Hunt has filled the gap left by the departure of Nick Batram.
Like a good businessman, Stewart identified a gap in the market.
Synonyms: need, demand, requirement, necessity More Synonyms of gap
4. countable noun
A gapbetween two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
...the gap between rich and poor. [+ between]
America's trade gap widened.
Britain needs to bridge the technology gap between academia and industry. [+ between]
Synonyms: difference, gulf, contrast, disagreement More Synonyms of gap
gap in British English
(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. mainly US
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
a.
a break in a magnetic circuit that increases the inductance and saturation point of the circuit
b. spark gap
7. bridge a gap
verbWord forms: gaps, gapping or gapped
8. (transitive)
to make a breach or opening in
Derived forms
gapless (ˈgapless)
adjective
gappy (ˈgappy)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old Norse gap chasm; related to gapa to gape, Swedish gap, Danish gab open mouth, opening
gap in American English
(gæp)
noun
1.
a hole or opening, as in a wall or fence, made by breaking or parting; breach
2.
a mountain pass, cleft, or ravine
3.
an interruption of continuity in space or time; hiatus; lacuna
4.
a lag or disparity between conditions, ideas, natures, etc.
5.
spark gap
verb transitiveWord forms: gapped or ˈgapping
6.
to make an opening in; breach
verb intransitive
7.
to come apart; open
Word origin
ME < ON < gapa, to yawn, gape
COBUILD Collocations
gap
address a gap
attainment gap
glaring gap
growing gap
knowledge gap
leave a gap
pay gap
productivity gap
reduce the gap
significant gap
skills gap
wealth gap
widen the gap
yawning gap
Examples of 'gap' in a sentence
gap
He is the one who can bridge the gap.
The Sun (2016)
Is the age gap going to defeat us in the end?
The Sun (2016)
That gap would obviously make the league that little bit more exciting for a lot of people.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
This book goes a long way towards filling that gap.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
For those who were still in the womb when their fathers died the gap widened to two years and ten weeks.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You wouldn't think the gap is as big as it is.
The Sun (2017)
Yet the gender gap that emerged was not as pronounced as the Democrats had hoped.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He can bridge the gap.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He added that the gaps in knowledge were far too large once they got there and it made the rest of their time at the university miserable.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The group said that strong cash generation in the combined business would help to bridge the gap.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Yet she blames her education for the glaring gaps in her knowledge.
The Sun (2015)
Many jumped over turnstiles or squeezed through gaps in a fence formed from railway sleepers.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Remove weeds appearing through gaps in patio pointing.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
The charity has also highlighted a significant gap in gender pay across the industry.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
My leaflet on age gaps is on its way.
The Sun (2012)
The gap between these two totals was astonishing.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
After the last entry there is a gap of four months.
Joan Rice Sand In My Shoes: Wartime Diaries of a WAAF (2006)
She leaves a big gap in all our lives.
The Sun (2008)
My age gaps advice line today should help.
The Sun (2009)
The age gap makes no difference to us.
The Sun (2007)
To make the gap up we have to win all of them.
The Sun (2012)
The gaps were often filled by novices coming straight from flying school.
Patrick Bishop FIGHTER BOYS: Saving Britain 1940 (2003)
They filled in some of the gaps in his knowledge and confirmed most of his instinctive judgments.
Jenkins, Roy Truman (1986)
Halfway along there is a temporary fence with a gap of perhaps six inches at the bottom.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Missing those players when we did more than accounts for the gap in points.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Pastors feel the effects of the gender gap week in and week out.
Christianity Today (2000)
Look ahead and think about how the age gap will affect you at different life stages.
The Sun (2013)
Make gaps in vegetables and crack in eggs.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
This fossil appears to be just on the cusp of that and it could help us fill in that big gap.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Vast age gaps mean vast differences.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
We just don't know how to bridge the gap.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Teams need to show that they've bridged the gap from four years ago.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
Tell him that we've found a gap in the line.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
In other languages
gap
British English: gap /ɡæp/ NOUN
A gap is a space between two things or a hole in something solid.
The wind was blowing through the gaps in the wall.
American English: gap
Arabic: فَجْوَة
Brazilian Portuguese: brecha
Chinese: 缺口
Croatian: praznina
Czech: mezera
Danish: åbning
Dutch: tussenruimte
European Spanish: hueco espacio
Finnish: aukko
French: fossé
German: Lücke
Greek: κενό
Italian: buco
Japanese: 隙間
Korean: 간격
Norwegian: åpning
Polish: luka
European Portuguese: brecha
Romanian: gol
Russian: разрыв
Latin American Spanish: hueco espacio vacío
Swedish: gap
Thai: ช่องว่าง
Turkish: boşluk yer
Ukrainian: проміжок
Vietnamese: chỗ trống
All related terms of 'gap'
age gap
a difference in age between two people
air gap
the space between two objects magnetically related, as between the rotor and the stator in a dynamo , or between two objects electrically related, as between the electrode and the tip of a spark plug
pay gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
gap-fill
In language teaching , a gap-fill test is an exercise in which words are removed from a text and replaced with spaces . The learner has to fill each space with the missing word or a suitable word.
gap year
A gap year is a period of time during which a student takes a break from studying after they have finished school and before they start college or university.
leaf gap
a region of parenchyma cells in the vascular tissue of flowering plants and some ferns , situated above a leaf trace
spark gap
the space between two electrodes across which a spark can jump
trade gap
If a country imports goods worth more than the value of the goods that it exports, this is referred to as a trade gap .
water gap
a deep valley in a ridge , containing a stream
wind gap
a narrow dry valley on a mountain or ridge
culture gap
a divide between two social groups that have different cultures
dollar gap
the difference , measured in US dollars , between a country's receipts or imports from the United States (or dollar area country) and its payments or exports to those countries
energy gap
the difference of energy between the bottom of the conduction band and the top of the valence band of the electrons in a crystalline solid . For values below about 2eV the substance is considered to be a semiconductor whilst for higher values it is considered to be an insulator
gap-toothed
If you describe a person or their smile as gap-toothed , you mean that some of that person's teeth are missing .
gender gap
the apparent disparity between men and women in values, attitudes , voting patterns , etc.
glaring gap
If there is something missing from a situation that prevents it being complete or satisfactory , you can say that there is a gap .
growing gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
seismic gap
the part of an active fault that has experienced little or no seismic activity for a long period, indicating the buildup of stresses that are useful in predicting earthquakes
skills gap
If there is something missing from a situation that prevents it being complete or satisfactory , you can say that there is a gap .
wealth gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
yawning gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
financing gap
the difference between a country's requirements for foreign exchange to finance its debts and imports and its income from overseas
gap financing
a mortgage or property loan given as an interim loan to finance the difference between the floor loan and the maximum permanent loan
GAP insurance
GAP insurance pays the difference between what someone owes on their car loan and the actual cash value of the vehicle in the event that it is stolen or damaged.
knowledge gap
If there is something missing from a situation that prevents it being complete or satisfactory , you can say that there is a gap .
suckers' gap
a temporary improvement , occurring between two periods of inclement weather , which deceives people into acting in expectation of continued fine weather
attainment gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
bridge a gap
to remedy a deficiency
credibility gap
A credibility gap is the difference between what a person says or promises and what they actually think or do.
Cumberland Gap
pass in the Cumberland Plateau , at the juncture of the Va., Ky., & Tenn. borders : c. 1,700 ft (518 m) high
generation gap
If you refer to the generation gap , you are referring to a difference in attitude and behaviour between older people and younger people, which may cause them to argue or may prevent them from understanding each other fully .
leave a gap
A gap is a space between two things or a hole in the middle of something solid.
significant gap
If there is something missing from a situation that prevents it being complete or satisfactory , you can say that there is a gap .
address a gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
communication gap
a lack of communication
deflationary gap
a situation in which total spending in an economy is insufficient to buy all the output that can be produced with full employment
inflationary gap
the excess of total spending in an economy over the value, at current prices, of the output it can produce
productivity gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
reduce the gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
the gender gap
the difference in the attitudes , behaviour, abilities , etc, of men and women, or boys and girls
widen the gap
A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them.
truth-value gap
the possibility in certain semantic systems of a statement being neither true nor false while also not being determinately of any third truth-value , as all my children are asleep uttered by a childless person
Chinese translation of 'gap'
gap
(ɡæp)
n(c)
(= space) 缝(縫)隙 (fèngxì) (个(個), gè)
(in time) 间(間)隔 (jiàngé)
(in knowledge, coverage, records) 空白 (kòngbái)
(= difference) 差距 (chājù)
a gap in the market市场(場)空白 (shìchǎng kòngbái)
1 (noun)
Definition
a break or opening in something
the wind tearing through gaps in the window frames
Synonyms
opening
He squeezed through an opening in the fence.
space
The space underneath could be used as a storage area.
hole
They got in through a hole in the wall.
kids with holes in the knees of their jeans
break
a sudden break in the clouds
split
The seat had a few small splits around the corners.
divide
the great divide between generations
crack
She watched him though a crack in the curtains.
rent
welling up from a rent in the ground
breach
A large battering ram hammered a breach in the wall.
slot
He dropped a coin in the slot and dialled.
vent
There was a small air vent in the ceiling.
rift
In the open bog are many rifts and potholes.
aperture
Through the aperture he could see daylight.
cleft
a narrow cleft in the rocks too small for a human to squeeze through
chink
He peered through a chink in the curtains.
crevice
a huge boulder with rare ferns growing in every crevice
fissure
There was a great crack, and a fissure opened up.
cranny
The lizards fled into crannies in the rocks.
perforation
interstice
2 (noun)
Definition
an interruption or interval
There followed a gap of four years.
Synonyms
interval
During the interval, wine was served.
pause
There was a brief pause in the conversation.
recess
Parliament returns to work today after its summer recess.
interruption
interruptions in the supply of food and fuel
respite
I rang home during a brief respite at work.
lull
a lull in the conversation
interlude
It was a happy interlude in her life.
breathing space
hiatus
Efforts to reach a settlement resume today after a two-week hiatus.
intermission
Drinks were served during the intermission.
lacuna
There are still major lacunae in the material available.
entr'acte
3 (noun)
He identified a gap in the market.
Synonyms
need
There's no need to call the police.
demand
The demand for coal is down.
requirement
The products met all legal requirements.
necessity
There is agreement on the necessity of reforms.
4 (noun)
Definition
a difference in ideas or viewpoint
the gap between the poor and the well-off
Synonyms
difference
the vast difference in size
gulf
the gulf between rural and urban life
contrast
The contrast between the two pieces of artwork was very striking.
disagreement
discrepancy
the discrepancy between press and radio reports
inconsistency
the alleged inconsistencies in her evidence
disparity
economic disparities between countries
divergence
There's substantial divergence of opinion in the party.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of aperture
Definition
a hole or opening
Through the aperture he could see daylight.
Synonyms
opening,
space,
hole,
crack,
gap,
rent,
passage,
breach,
slot,
vent,
rift,
slit,
cleft,
eye,
chink,
fissure,
orifice,
perforation,
eyelet,
interstice
in the sense of breach
Definition
a crack, break, or gap
A large battering ram hammered a breach in the wall.
Synonyms
opening,
crack,
break,
hole,
split,
gap,
rent,
rift,
rupture,
aperture,
chasm,
cleft,
fissure
in the sense of break
a sudden break in the clouds
Synonyms
gap,
opening,
space,
hole,
divide,
crack,
breach,
rift,
cleft,
chink,
crevice,
cranny,
discontinuity,
interstice
Synonyms of 'gap'
gap
Explore 'gap' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of space
Definition
an interval of distance or time between two points, objects, or events
The space underneath could be used as a storage area.
Synonyms
gap,
opening,
interval,
gulf,
cavity,
aperture
in the sense of split
Definition
a gap or rift caused by splitting
The seat had a few small splits around the corners.
Synonyms
crack,
tear,
rip,
damage,
gap,
rent,
breach,
slash,
slit,
fissure
in the sense of vent
Definition
a small opening in something through which fresh air can enter and fumes can be released