1
a
: a break in a barrier (such as a wall, hedge, or line of military defense)
b
: an assailable position
2
a
: a mountain pass
b
: ravine
3
4
a
: 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
gapped; gapping
1
: to make an opening in
2
: to adjust the space between the electrodes of (a spark plug)
: to fall or stand open
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
Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 26 Sep. 2025
In Pennsylvania, Democrats’ advantage has fallen from close to a million a decade ago to only tens of thousands today, with the gap shrinking dramatically in the last two election cycles.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2025
Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Until those midstream gaps close, downstream players face single‑point‑of‑failure risk, longer logistics chains and unpredictable lead times.
—Brendon Grunewald, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gap
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Noun
But also, there are gaps in the film.
—Jessica Radloff, Glamour, 26 Sep. 2025
In Pennsylvania, Democrats’ advantage has fallen from close to a million a decade ago to only tens of thousands today, with the gap shrinking dramatically in the last two election cycles.
—Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
Achievement gaps persist The scores show the state’s achievement gaps in math and literacy remain, with students of color and students from lower-income families continuing to fare worse than their White and higher-income peers.
—Kayla Huynh, jsonline.com, 25 Sep. 2025
Until those midstream gaps close, downstream players face single‑point‑of‑failure risk, longer logistics chains and unpredictable lead times.
—Brendon Grunewald, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gap
Cite this Entry
“Gap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gap. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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