gap
noun uk/ɡæp/ us/ɡæp/
(HOLE)
B1 [ C ]缺口;豁口;裂口
an empty space or opening in the middle of something or between two things
The children squeezed through a gap in the wall. 孩子们从墙的一个缺口处硬挤了过去。
She has a small gap between her front teeth. 她的门牙之间有条细缝。
Compare: breach noun (OPENING) chink noun (CRACK)cleftcrack noun (NARROW SPACE)crannycrevicefissureinterstice opening noun (HOLE)slit nounslot noun (LONG HOLE)cavitychamber (SPACE) hole noun (SPACE)hollow nounpocket noun (GROUP/AREA)space noun (EMPTY PLACE)
gap in the market C2 [ C ] 市场空白
an opportunity for a product or service that does not already exist
There is a gap in the magazine market that needs to be filled. 在杂志市场上还有一个空白需要填补。
They'd observed that there was a gap in the market.
She spotted a gap in the market while looking for upmarket vegan handbags.
The gap in the beverages market for low-alcohol beer was swiftly being filled by new breweriest.
They had been very successful in identifying a gap in the sportswear market for larger athletes.
- More examples
- A ray of sunshine shone through a gap in the clouds.
- With a wriggle, she managed to crawl through the gap.
- A gap in the clouds revealed the Atlantic far below.
- He carefully nosed his lorry into the small gap.
- A gap between the curtains admitted the faint glimmer of a street lamp.
(DIFFERENCE)
B2 [ S ]差距；分歧；隔阂
a difference between two things
The gap between rich and poor is still widening (= becoming greater). 贫富差距仍在继续拉大。
B2 [ C usually singular ]（时间上的）间断，间隔，间隙
a period of time spent doing something different
After a gap of five years, Jennifer decided to go back to work full-time. 时隔5年之后，珍妮弗决定回去做全职工作。
- More examples
- The government's change of policy is intended to reduce the gap between the haves and have-nots in our society.
- We must strive to narrow the gap between rich and poor.
- There exists nowadays a yawning gap between fashion and style.
- We must bridge the gap between labour and management.
- The report states that the gap between the rich and the poor has increased dramatically over the past decade.
Idiom
bridge a/the gapidiom 弥合差距；弥补隔阂；消除差异
to connect two things or to make the difference between them smaller
The president singled out education as a vital tool in bridging the gap between rich and poor. 总统先生首推教育为消除贫富差距的重要途径。
This collection of stories bridges the gap between history and fiction. 这部短篇小说集融合了历史和虚构文学。