gap

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a period of time when nothing happens or something is missing.

n. an interruption in continuity or a period of time where an activity is suspended.

“There was a long gap between the first and second seasons of the show.”

“After a ten-year gap in her employment history, she found it challenging to re-enter the competitive legal market.”

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a big difference between two groups, such as rich and poor people.

n. a metaphorical distance or disparity between two sets of people, ideas, or statistics.

“The government is trying to close the gap between the rich and the poor.”

“Sociologists are concerned that the digital gap is widening as technology becomes more expensive and essential for basic education.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Academic

n. something that is missing from a story or a set of information.

n. a deficiency or lack of something needed to complete a whole, such as knowledge or evidence.

“There are several gaps in his story that make it hard to believe.”

“The researcher identified a critical gap in the existing literature regarding the long-term effects of microplastics on soil health.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun American English

n. a low place between two mountains that people can travel through.

n. a deep sloping pass or notch through a mountain range.

“The pioneers traveled through the Cumberland Gap to reach the west.”

“The narrow gap provided the only viable route for the railway to cross the rugged mountain range without extensive tunneling.”

C1 · Advanced Technical

v. to open up or leave a space between things.

v. to create an opening or to fall open so as to leave a space.

“The floorboards began to gap as the old wood dried out.”

“The heavy curtains were poorly fitted and gapped at the bottom, allowing light to spill into the dark room.”

C2 · Proficiency Sports Slang

v. to move much faster than someone else in a race.

v. to increase the distance between oneself and a competitor by a significant margin.

“The lead runner gapped the rest of the pack in the final mile.”

“By the third lap, the champion cyclist had gapped the peloton, leaving his rivals struggling to maintain his aggressive pace.”