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
Andrei Kasyanau, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
The age gap was indeed a factor in Kristin and Mark’s breakup.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 1 Oct. 2024
Tom Aspray, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
The stock gapped higher on Tuesday, pushing above short-term resistance around $46 as well as a trendline using the May and July highs.
—David Keller, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for gap 
Noun
Integrating new technologies requires a cultural shift that embraces knowledge gaps and other transitional challenges.
—Andrei Kasyanau, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
The age gap was indeed a factor in Kristin and Mark’s breakup.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
Most will be happy that September is now over as the stock market had a rough start for the month as on September 3rd the S&P 500 gapped 25 points lower and closed down 2.1% while the Nasdaq Composite was down 3.1%.
—Tom Aspray, Forbes, 30 Sep. 2024
The stock gapped higher on Tuesday, pushing above short-term resistance around $46 as well as a trendline using the May and July highs.
—David Keller, CNBC, 25 Sep. 2024
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 5 Oct. 2024.
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