gap
[noun]
Synonyms:
- opening, break, chink, cleft, crack, hole, space
- interval, breathing space, hiatus, interlude, intermission, interruption, lacuna, lull, pause, respite
- difference, disagreement, disparity, divergence, inconsistency

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Related Words: fracture, rupture, chink, cleavage, cleft, crack, crevice, fissure, slit, slot, division, interspace, interval, separation, aperture, cranny, orifice, caesura, intermission, lull, pause, respite, rest

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English Thesaurus: break, smash, shatter, crack, burst, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

Gap, The trademark
a US clothes company with stores all over the world. The Gap sells informal clothes for men, women, and children, which are fashionable but not very expensive.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

gap S2 W2 /ɡæp/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1300-1400; Language: Old Norse; Origin: 'hole, deep narrow valley']

1. A SPACE a space between two objects or two parts of an object, especially because something is missing
gap in
The neighbors’ dog got in through a gap in the hedge.
a gap in the traffic
gap between
the gap between the two rows of seats

2. DIFFERENCE a big difference between two situations, amounts, groups of people etc ⇒ gulf
gap between
the widening gap between the rich and the poor ⇒ generation gap

3. SOMETHING MISSING something missing that stops something else from being good or complete
gap in
There are huge gaps in my knowledge of history.
Frank’s death has left a big gap in my life.
fill/plug the gap
He filled the gap left by Hirst’s retirement.

4. IN TIME a period of time when nothing is happening, that exists between two other periods of time when something is happening
gap in
an awkward gap in the conversation
gap between
The gaps between his visits got longer and longer. ⇒ gap year

5. IN A MOUNTAIN a low place between two higher parts of a mountain

6. gap in the market a product or service that does not exist, so that there is an opportunity to develop that product or service and sell it

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

gap
noun
I. space between things
ADJ. big, huge, large, wide | narrow, small | awkward an awkward gap between the bed and the door
VERB + GAP leave | fill, seal Seal the gaps around the windows with an exterior-quality sealant.
GAP + VERB appear, open up He flashed his headlights and jumped lanes whenever a gap opened up.
PREP. through a/the ~ A rabbit ran along the fence and darted through a gap.
~ between Position the tiles, leaving a narrow gap between the edges.
~ in A huge gap had appeared in the hedge.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gap
II. period of time
ADJ. awkward | long, short | time
VERB + GAP fill wondering how to fill an awkward gap in the conversation
GAP + NOUN year I'm planning to travel in my gap year (= the year between school and university).
PREP. after a/the ~ She returned to teaching after a twelve-year gap.
~ between a job to fill the gap between school and university | ~ in a gap in his career

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gap
III. difference
ADJ. big, huge, large, significant, substantial, wide, yawning | unbridgeable the unbridgeable gap between the two cultures
growing, widening | narrow | age, generation Despite the age gap, romance blossomed.
cultural/culture | gender the gender gap in earnings
credibility Newspapers were talking of a credibility gap between what he said and what he did.
information, knowledge, skills the knowledge gap between doctor and patient
trade (= the gap between export and imports; used in journalism)
VERB + GAP bridge an attempt to bridge the gap between the academic world and industry
GAP + VERB widen | narrow | separate sb/sth He realized how narrow was the gap separating him from his pagan ancestors.
PREP. ~ between The gap between rich and poor widened.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gap
IV. where sth is missing
ADJ. big, enormous, great, huge, important, large, serious, significant, terrible, yawning serious gaps in their knowledge
VERB + GAP create, leave His death left a huge gap in my life.
identify | close, fill (in), plug Her appointment will fill the gap created when the marketing manager left.
PREP. ~ in legislation to close a gap in the law
PHRASES a gap in the market We think we've identified a gap in the market (= a business opportunity to make or sell sth that is not yet available).

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

gap

a big/large/wide gap
There’s a big gap between the two test scores.
a huge/substantial etc gap
A huge gap exists between the life styles of the rich and the poor.
a narrow gap
There’s only a narrow gap between the two candidates in the polls.
a yawning gap (=a very big difference)
There’s a yawning gap between the earnings of men and women.
a growing/widening gap
There is a widening gap in the academic performance of boys and girls.
an unbridgeable gap (=a gap that cannot be closed)
He felt that there was an unbridgeable gap between the negotiating positions of the two sides.
a trade gap (=the difference between the amount a country imports and exports)
Britain’s trade gap almost doubled last month.
the gender gap (=the difference between men and women)
The gender gap was visible in the way men and women voted during the presidential elections.
the generation gap (=the difference in attitudes, tastes etc between older and younger people)
Taste in music is a good indicator of the generation gap.
an age gap (=a difference in age between two people)
Despite the age gap, they became good friends.
a cultural gap (=a difference between cultures)
There is a cultural gap between Europe and America on this subject.
bridge/close/narrow the gap (=reduce the amount or importance of a difference)
The book aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
The policies are designed to close the gap between rich and poor.
the gap narrows
Polls show the gap between the two candidates has narrowed.
widen the gap
Technology has widened the gap between people with and without computer skills.
the gap widens
The gap is widening between the incomes of the rich and the less well-off.
a gap exists
A cultural gap exists between the older and the younger generations.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

break verb [intransitive] to become damaged and separate into pieces:
Plastic breaks quite easily.
smash verb [intransitive] to break after being hit with a lot of force:
The bowl smashed as it hit the floor.
shatter verb [intransitive] to break into a lot of small pieces:
The glass shattered all over the pavement.
crack verb [intransitive] if something cracks, a line appears on the surface, which means that it could later break into separate pieces:
The ice was starting to crack.
burst verb [intransitive] if a tyre, balloon, pipe etc bursts, it gets a hole and air or liquid suddenly comes out of it:
She blew up the balloon until it burst.
split verb [intransitive] to break in a straight line:
The damp had caused the wood to split.
crumble verb [intransitive] to break into a powder or a lot of small pieces:
The cork just crumbled in my hand.
hole an empty space in the surface of something, which sometimes goes all the way through it:
A fox had dug a hole under our fence.
Rain was coming in through a hole in the roof.
space an empty area between two things, into which you can put something:
Are there any empty spaces on the bookshelf?
a parking space
gap an empty area between two things or two parts of something, especially one that should not be there:
He has a gap between his two front teeth.
I squeezed through a gap in the hedge.
opening a hole that something can pass through or that you can see through, especially at the entrance of something:
The train disappeared into the dark opening of the tunnel.
I looked through the narrow opening in the wall.
leak a small hole where something has been damaged or broken that lets liquid or gas flow in or out:
a leak in the pipe
The plumber's coming to repair the leak.
puncture especially British English a small hole in a tyre through which air escapes:
My bike's got a puncture.
slot a straight narrow hole that you put a particular type of object into:
You have to put a coin in the slot before you dial the number.
A small disk fits into a slot in the camera.
crater a round hole in the ground made by an explosion or by a large object hitting it hard:
a volcanic crater
The meteor left a crater over five miles wide.
the craters on the moon

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

difference a detail, fact, or quality that makes one person or thing different from another:
We should think about the similarities between cultures, not the differences.
⇒ difference between:
Try and spot the differences between these two pictures.
The difference between the two cheeses is that one is made from goat’s milk.
⇒ difference in:
I don’t think there’s any difference in the way you pronounce these two words.
⇒ know the difference:
He’s speaking Italian, not Spanish. Don’t you know the difference?
contrast a very clear difference that you can easily see when you compare two things or people: contrast between something/somebody and something/somebody:
What surprised me was the contrast between Picasso’s early style and his later work.
gap a big difference between two amounts, two ages, or two groups of people: gap between:
There’s a ten-year gap between Kay’s two children.
The gap between rich and poor is wider in the South than in the rest of the country.
⇒ age/gender/income etc gap:
The age gap between us didn’t seem to matter until we decided to have children.
gulf a very big difference and lack of understanding between two groups of people, especially in their beliefs, opinions, and way of life: gulf between somebody and somebody:
More riots led to a growing gulf between the police and the communities in which they worked.
⇒ bridge/cross the gulf (=improve understanding and communication):
The central problem was how to bridge the gulf between the warring factions of the party.
disparity formal a big difference between two groups of people or things – use this especially when you think the difference is unfair or may cause problems: disparity between:
It is not easy to explain the disparity that still exists between the salaries of men and women.
⇒ disparity in:
the disparity in wealth between the highest and the lowest employees
⇒ the economic/income etc disparity:
The economic disparity between the area’s black and white citizens is a serious problem.
compare to consider two or more things or people, in order to show how they are similar or different:
Scientists compared the results of both experiments.
The woman’s body was identified by comparing her teeth with dental records.
make/draw a comparison to compare two or more things or people and say how they are similar:
In her article, she makes a comparison between people’s lives now and 50 years ago.
It is possible to draw a comparison between the two poets’ work.
draw an analogy to say that two situations are similar – a rather formal use:
Some people have attempted to draw an analogy between America’s invasion of Iraq and the war in Vietnam.
draw a parallel to say that some features of things are similar, especially things that are actually very different – a rather formal use:
He draws a parallel between football and religion.
Parallels can be drawn between her work and that of Picasso.
make/draw a distinction between to say that you think two things are very different:
The author draws a distinction between allowing death to occur, and causing it.
It is important to make a distinction between people’s fears about crime and the amount of crime that really happens.
measure somebody/something against somebody/something to compare two people or things, in order to judge which is better, bigger, etc:
As a young actress, she was nervous of being measured against her famous father.
Murray’s progress is often measured against that of Nadal.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hole an empty space in the surface of something, which sometimes goes all the way through it:
A fox had dug a hole under our fence.
Rain was coming in through a hole in the roof.
space an empty area between two things, into which you can put something:
Are there any empty spaces on the bookshelf?
a parking space
gap an empty area between two things or two parts of something, especially one that should not be there:
He has a gap between his two front teeth.
I squeezed through a gap in the hedge.
opening a hole that something can pass through or that you can see through, especially at the entrance of something:
The train disappeared into the dark opening of the tunnel.
I looked through the narrow opening in the wall.
leak a small hole where something has been damaged or broken that lets liquid or gas flow in or out:
a leak in the pipe
The plumber's coming to repair the leak.
puncture especially British English a small hole in a tyre through which air escapes:
My bike's got a puncture.
crack a very narrow space between two things or two parts of something:
The snake slid into a crack in the rock.
She was peering through the crack in the curtains.
slot a straight narrow hole that you put a particular type of object into:
You have to put a coin in the slot before you dial the number.
A small disk fits into a slot in the camera.
crater a round hole in the ground made by an explosion or by a large object hitting it hard:
a volcanic crater
The meteor left a crater over five miles wide.
the craters on the moon
make a hole in something to cause a hole to appear in something:
Make a hole in the bottom of the can using a hammer and nail.
pierce to make a small hole in or through something, using a pointed object:
The dog's teeth had pierced her skin.
Shelley wanted to have her ears pierced (=for earrings).
prick to make a very small hole in the surface of something, using a pointed object:
Prick the potatoes before baking them.
My finger was bleeding where the needle had pricked it.
punch to make a hole through paper or flat material using a metal tool or other sharp object:
I bought one of those things for punching holes in paper.
You have to get your ticket punched before you get on the train.
perforate formal to make a hole or holes in something:
Fragments of the bullet had perforated his intestines.
drill to make a hole using a special tool, often one which turns round and round very quickly:
The dentist started drilling a hole in my tooth.
They won a contract to drill for oil in the area.
bore to make a deep round hole through a rock, into the ground etc:
They had to bore through solid rock.
The men were boring a hole for the tunnel.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

GAP
God Answers Prayer

[TahlilGaran] Acronyms and Abbreviations Dictionary ▲