close a gap

Meaning

This phrase means to reduce or eliminate a difference, disparity, or shortage between two things. It is frequently used in business to talk about catching up to competitors, reducing skill shortages, or balancing budget deficits.

Examples

• The company is launching a new training program to close the skills gap among junior developers.

  The company is launching a new training program to close the skills gap among junior developers.

• We need to find ways to close the gap between our projected sales and our actual performance.

  We need to find ways to close the gap between our projected sales and our actual performance.

• By offering remote work, we managed to close the gap in recruitment and hire top talent.

  By offering remote work, we managed to close the gap in recruitment and hire top talent.

• Our marketing team is working hard to close the gap with our main competitor.

  Our marketing team is working hard to close the gap with our main competitor.

• The new policy aims to close the gender pay gap across all departments.

  The new policy aims to close the gender pay gap across all departments.

Common Mistakes

• ✗ We must close the space between our sales targets and reality.

  ✓ We must close the gap between our sales targets and reality.

  'Close the gap' is the fixed idiomatic collocation; 'close the space' sounds unnatural and refers to physical distance.

• ✗ The training will close the gap of our employees.

  ✓ The training will close our employees' skills gap.

  Specify what kind of gap (e.g., skills gap, performance gap) or use the preposition 'between'.

Related Expressions

Practice

• The new training program will help us ___ in our employees' digital skills.

  💡 Reduce a deficiency or shortage.

  Show answer

  close a gap

• We need more funding if we want to ___ between our budget and our actual expenses.

  💡 Eliminate the deficit or difference.

  Show answer

  close the gap