Basic+ Word of the Day: gap

gap (noun) LISTEN

A gap is a break or an opening.

  • The prisoner escaped through a gap in the fence.
  • The six-year old has a gap between her teeth.

A gap is also a wide difference between things or opinions.

  • The gap between rich and poor is growing every day.
  • There is a huge gap between the policies of the ruling party and the opposition.
  • There is a communications gap between what the politician says and what she actually means.

Common uses

gap year: the year between secondary school and university when many students travel or find a job. Example: “Fiona spent her gap year traveling around South America.”

Did you know?

If you visit London and ride on the Underground, you’ll see signs that say, “Mind the gap.” That just means that you should be careful of the gap between the train and the platform when boarding.

In pop culture

The Gap Band was a rhythm and blues band popular in the 1970s and 1980s. Watch this video of their song “Early in the Morning.”

There are other meanings of gap.
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