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
Bob Kruse, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Assuming that the two indices continued to diverge by the current rate, the gap would only grow.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Adam Sarhan, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
So, are Simon Cowell–inspired tweaks out and gaps in?
—Dora Davies-Evitt, Glamour, 31 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gap
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Next-Gen Anti-Ransomware Protection—Preemptive And Resilient Security Despite AV and EDR advancements, modern ransomware tactics—including encryption bypass and stealthy execution—continue to exploit gaps in endpoint defenses.
—Bob Kruse, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Assuming that the two indices continued to diverge by the current rate, the gap would only grow.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2025
Verb
The stock is prone to big moves after reporting earnings and can easily gap up if the numbers are strong.
—Adam Sarhan, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
So, are Simon Cowell–inspired tweaks out and gaps in?
—Dora Davies-Evitt, Glamour, 31 Mar. 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 3 May. 2025.
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