Adjacent Words

Gap definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

GAP, n. [See Gape and Gab.]
1. An opening in any thing made by breaking or parting; as a gap in a fence or wall.
2. A breach.
Manifold miseries ensued by the opening of that gap to all that side of christendom.
3. Any avenue or passage; way of entrance or departure.
4. A breach; a defect; a flaw; as a gap in honor or reputation.
5. An interstice; a vacuity.
A third can fill the gap with laughing.
6. A hiatus; a chasm; as a gap between words.
To stop a gap, to secure a weak point; to repair a defect.
To stand in the gap, to expose one's self for the protection of something; to make defense against any assailing danger. Ezek 22.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a conspicuous disparity or difference as between two figures; "gap between income and outgo"; "the spread between lending and borrowing costs" [syn: gap, spread]
2: an open or empty space in or between things; "there was a small opening between the trees"; "the explosion made a gap in the wall" [syn: opening, gap]
3: a narrow opening; "he opened the window a crack" [syn: gap, crack]
4: a pass between mountain peaks [syn: col, gap]
5: a difference (especially an unfortunate difference) between two opinions or two views or two situations
6: an act of delaying or interrupting the continuity; "it was presented without commercial breaks"; "there was a gap in his account" [syn: break, interruption, disruption, gap] v
1: make an opening or gap in [syn: gap, breach]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Middle English, from Old Norse, chasm, hole; akin to Old Norse gapa to gape Date: 14th century 1. a. a break in a barrier (as a wall, hedge, or line of military defense) b. an assailable position 2. a. a mountain pass b. ravine 3. spark gap 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> • gappy adjective II. verb (gapped; gapping) Date: 1879 transitive verb 1. to make an opening in 2. to adjust the space between the electrodes of (a spark plug) intransitive verb to fall or stand open

U.S. Military Dictionary

An area within a minefield or obstacle belt, free of live mines or obstacles, whose width and direction will allow a friendly force to pass through in tactical formation. See also phoney minefield.

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 an unfilled space or interval; a blank; a break in continuity. 2 a breach in a hedge, fence, or wall. 3 a wide (usu. undesirable) divergence in views, sympathies, development, etc. (generation gap). 4 a gorge or pass. Phrases and idioms: fill (or close etc.) a gap make up a deficiency. gap-toothed having gaps between the teeth. Derivatives: gapped adj. gappy adj. Etymology: ME f. ON, = chasm, rel. to GAPE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gap Gap, n. (A["e]ronautics) The vertical distance between two superposed surfaces, esp. in a biplane.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gap Gap, n. [OE. gap; cf. Icel. gap an empty space, Sw. gap mouth, breach, abyss, Dan. gab mouth, opening, AS. geap expanse; as adj., wide, spacious. See Gape.] An opening in anything made by breaking or parting; as, a gap in a fence; an opening for a passage or entrance; an opening which implies a breach or defect; a vacant space or time; a hiatus; a mountain pass. Miseries ensued by the opening of that gap. --Knolles. It would make a great gap in your own honor. --Shak. Gap lathe (Mach.), a turning lathe with a deep notch in the bed to admit of turning a short object of large diameter. To stand in the gap, to expose one's self for the protection of something; to make defense against any assailing danger; to take the place of a fallen defender or supporter. To stop a gap, to secure a weak point; to repair a defect.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Gap Gap, v. t. 1. To notch, as a sword or knife. 2. To make an opening in; to breach. Their masses are gapp'd with our grape. --Tennyson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(gaps) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A gap is a space between two things or a hole in the middle of something solid. He pulled the thick curtains together, leaving just a narrow gap. ...the wind tearing through gaps in the window frames. N-COUNT 2. A gap is a period of time when you are not busy or when you stop doing something that you normally do. There followed a gap of four years, during which William joined the Army. = break N-COUNT: oft N of n 3. If there is something missing from a situation that prevents it being complete or satisfactory, you can say that there is a gap. We need more young scientists to fill the gap left by a wave of retirements expected over the next decade... Like a good businessman, Stewart identified a gap in the market. N-COUNT: usu with supp 4. A gap between two groups of people, things, or sets of ideas is a big difference between them. ...the gap between rich and poor... America's trade gap widened... Britain needs to bridge the technology gap between academia and industry. N-COUNT: with supp, oft N between pl-n

Easton's Bible Dictionary

a rent or opening in a wall (Ezek. 13:5; comp. Amos 4:3). The false prophets did not stand in the gap (Ezek. 22: 30), i.e., they did nothing to stop the outbreak of wickedness.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

The translation of perets, "a breach" (Eze 13:5, "Ye have not gone up into the gaps," the Revised Version, margin "breaches"; Eze 22:30, "I sought for a man among them, that should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land"). Said of prophets who failed to stand up for the right and to strengthen and preserve the people.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. Cleft, crevice, opening, chink, cranny, crack, interstice, breach, rift, break, hiatus, lacuna.

Moby Thesaurus

abysm, abyss, aperture, arrearage, arroyo, bottom, bottom glade, bottoms, box canyon, breach, break, breakage, broaching, burst, caesura, canyon, cavity, cessation, chap, chasm, check, chimney, chink, chip, clearing, cleavage, cleave, cleft, cleuch, clough, clove, col, coulee, couloir, crack, cranny, crevasse, crevice, cut, cut apart, cwm, dale, defalcation, defect, deficiency, deficit, defile, dehisce, delay, dell, difference, dike, dingle, disagreement, disclosure, discontinuity, discrepancy, disparity, disruption, distance, distinction, ditch, divergence, division, donga, draw, excavation, fault, fenestra, fissure, fistula, flaw, flume, fontanel, foramen, fracture, furrow, gape, gash, gat, gill, glen, gorge, groove, grove, gulch, gulf, gully, halt, hang open, hiatus, hole, hollow, incise, incision, inconsistency, inlet, interim, intermission, interruption, interspace, interval, intervale, joint, kloof, lack, lacuna, laying open, leak, letup, lull, lunar rill, missing link, moat, need, notch, nullah, omission, open, opening, opening up, orifice, oscitate, outage, outlet, pass, passage, passageway, pause, pore, ravine, recess, rent, respite, rest, rift, rime, rip, rive, rupture, scale, scissure, seam, separation, shortage, slash, slice, slit, slot, space, splinter, split, stoma, stop, strath, suspension, tear, throwing open, trench, trough, ullage, uncorking, unstopping, vale, valley, void, wadi, wait, want, wantage, yawn