Word.ws English Dictionary

gapping

/ˈɡæpɪŋ/

gapping is the present participle and gerund of gap.

Noun

gapping (countable and uncountable, plural gappings)

  1. (uncountable) A type of ellipsis that occurs in the non-initial conjuncts of coordinate structures, and usually elides minimally a finite verb and further any non-finite verbs that are present.
  2. The formation of a gap.
    • The suture must be firm enough to prevent gapping when the elasticity of the elastic layer has been in play for some time.1919, Studies from the Dept. of Anatomy, volume 7, page 505
    • This test should then be repeated at 30° of knee flexion. The degree of injury can be graded based upon the amount of gapping felt as the joint opens under stress.2012, Vicente Sanchis-Alfonso, Joan Carles Monllau, The ACL-Deficient Knee: A Problem Solving Approach, page 300

Meaning of gap

Verb

gap (third-person singular simple present gaps, present participle gapping, simple past and past participle gapped)

  1. (transitive) To notch, as a sword or knife.
  2. (transitive) To make an opening in; to breach.
  3. (transitive) 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.
  4. (especially, intransitive, slang, transitive) To surpass (someone or something) by a considerable margin.
    • Honestly K&C could release today with like a bit more SOT buffs and they'd probably still gap a lot of the game2022 May 4, u/jhawk1117, “Two units that were really ahead of their time”, in Reddit, r/DBZDokkanBattle, archived from the original on 18 Jul 2024
  5. (New Zealand, slang) To leave suddenly.
    • [Article title:] 'They've just gapped it': Duo fled quarantine authorities after gang funeral2020 June 17, “'They've just gapped it': Duo fled quarantine authorities after gang funeral”, in Newstalk ZB, archived from the original on 13 Oct 2022
  6. (intransitive) To fall or spill open so as to leave a gap.
    • The robe gaps open at the waist, breasts spilling out of a lacy bra that looks like she might have had it since her college days.2007 July [2006], Jeanne C. Stein, Blood Drive (Anna Strong; 2), →ISBN, page 60

See all 22 meanings of gap

Forms of gapping

pluralgappings

Words formed from gapping

Phrases with gapping

Questions about gapping

What does gapping mean?
Gapping means a type of ellipsis that occurs in the non-initial conjuncts of coordinate structures, and usually elides minimally a finite verb and further any non-finite verbs that are present.
What is gapping the present participle and gerund of?
Gapping is the present participle and gerund of gap.
What part of speech is gapping?
Gapping is a noun.
How do you pronounce gapping?
Gapping is pronounced /ˈɡæpɪŋ/.
What is the plural of gapping?
The plural of gapping is gappings.

Words near gapping in the dictionary

  1. gapper
  2. gappers
  3. gappier
  4. gappiest
  5. gappiness
  6. gapping
  7. gapping it
  8. gappings
  9. gappist
  10. gappists
  11. gappy

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: gapping (page history and authors); gap (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “gapping.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/gapping. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.