gap
//ɡæp//
Forms
- Plural
- gaps
- present (v1)
- gap
- past (v2)
- gapped
- past participle (v3)
- gapped
- present participle
- gapping
- 3rd person singular
- gaps
Definitions
1.An opening in anything made by breaking or parting.
- He made a gap in the fence by kicking at a weak spot.
2.An opening allowing passage or entrance.
- We can slip through that gap between the buildings.
3.An opening that implies a breach or defect.
- There is a gap between the roof and the gutter.
4.A vacant space or time.
- I have a gap in my schedule next Tuesday.
1.To notch, as a sword or knife.
2.To make an opening in; to breach.
3.To surpass (someone or something) by a considerable margin.(slang)
4.To check the size of a gap.
- I gapped all the spark plugs in my car, but then realized I had used the wrong manual and had made them too small.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2258
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English gap /gappe, from Old Norse gap (“an empty space, gap, chasm”), from gapa (“to gape, scream”), from Proto-Germanic *gapōną, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰeh₂- (“to open wide, gape”).