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
Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
The median home price is a benchmark for how much a U.S. home costs, which is largely driven by the gap between housing supply and homebuyer demand.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 17 Apr. 2025
Adam Sarhan, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
It’s led to challenges like gapping at the waist, rigid materials that restrict movement, and cuts that don’t account for a whole demographic of hips.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gap
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Noun
Over time, the gap between Clifford Davis and the rest of Fort Worth ISD has widened today, where less than 1 in every 10 students is reading and doing math on grade level.
—Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2025
The median home price is a benchmark for how much a U.S. home costs, which is largely driven by the gap between housing supply and homebuyer demand.
—Sylvan Lane, The Hill, 17 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, 16 Apr. 2025
It’s led to challenges like gapping at the waist, rigid materials that restrict movement, and cuts that don’t account for a whole demographic of hips.
—Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2025.
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