chasm
noun
ˈka-zəm 
1
: a deep cleft in the surface of a planet (such as the earth) : gorge
built a bridge over the chasm
2
: a marked division, separation, or difference
the chasm between the rich and the poor
Synonyms
- abysm
- abyss
- deep
- gulf
- ocean
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
a chasm in the ocean floor
Recent Examples on the Web Our times beseech us to step into the chasm of uncertainty and become the agents of transformation our future needs. 
Erica Ariel Fox, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 By 2020, that gap in clearance rate had widened into a chasm, increasing for victims who were White and decreasing for those who were Black. Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 29 June 2022 Eventually, my body fully hurled itself into the dark chasm. Outside Online, 20 June 2022 The gap between America's rich and the poor — or really, the rich and everyone else — has stretched into a chasm. Peter Weber, The Week, 9 June 2022 The extraordinary decision by one of the best golfers in the world to defect from the game’s most powerful tour reflects the chasm—and uncertainty—LIV has created in the industry. Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 7 June 2022 That chasm, like the dinner party, proves to be another turning point for Hélène. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2022 But that created a chasm between health-care workers and the rest of society—a pattern that Masood also hears among veterans returning from war. Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 18 May 2022 The chasm that exists in talent — some of it, though not all, payroll related — between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks is significant. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2022 See More
Erica Ariel Fox, Forbes, 15 Aug. 2022 By 2020, that gap in clearance rate had widened into a chasm, increasing for victims who were White and decreasing for those who were Black. Jim Axelrod, CBS News, 29 June 2022 Eventually, my body fully hurled itself into the dark chasm. Outside Online, 20 June 2022 The gap between America's rich and the poor — or really, the rich and everyone else — has stretched into a chasm. Peter Weber, The Week, 9 June 2022 The extraordinary decision by one of the best golfers in the world to defect from the game’s most powerful tour reflects the chasm—and uncertainty—LIV has created in the industry. Andrew Beaton, WSJ, 7 June 2022 That chasm, like the dinner party, proves to be another turning point for Hélène. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 May 2022 But that created a chasm between health-care workers and the rest of society—a pattern that Masood also hears among veterans returning from war. Ed Yong, The Atlantic, 18 May 2022 The chasm that exists in talent — some of it, though not all, payroll related — between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks is significant. Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 25 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin chasma, from Greek; akin to Latin hiare to yawn — more at yawn
First Known Use
circa 1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
chasm
noun
ˈka-zəm
: a deep split or gap in the earth
chasm
noun
as in abyss
an immeasurable depth or space a chasm in the ocean floor Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- abyss
- gulf
- ocean
- deep
- expanse
- fissure
- cavern
- abysm
- crevice
- pit
- hole
- crevasse
- cleft
- void
- hollow
- emptiness
- reach
- breadth
- stretch
- vacuum
- extent
- nothingness
- vacancy
- black hole
- spread
- vacuity