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
Synonyms
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
Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 21 July 2024
That said, Michel of La Baleine believes that this gap in swimming ability is not exclusively due to financial constraints and disparities.
—Léontine Gallois, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2024
Lisa Abramowicz, Bloomberg.com, 14 June 2024
But money tends to follow economic growth, and gaps this extreme between economic output and financial gains tend to rebalance themselves over time.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
See all Example Sentences for gap 
Noun
However, this time, the retailer increased the fee after a seven-year gap.
—Tipranks.com Staff, CNBC, 21 July 2024
That said, Michel of La Baleine believes that this gap in swimming ability is not exclusively due to financial constraints and disparities.
—Léontine Gallois, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 July 2024
Verb
French bond yields are gapping out against German bunds’, the euro has weakened and fears are rising of further destabilization of the region’s alliances.
—Lisa Abramowicz, Bloomberg.com, 14 June 2024
But money tends to follow economic growth, and gaps this extreme between economic output and financial gains tend to rebalance themselves over time.
—Ruchir Sharma, Foreign Affairs, 20 Apr. 2021
See all Example Sentences for gap
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'gap.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near gap
Cite this Entry
“Gap.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gap. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.
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