lapse

[laps]

noun

1. an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state; a temporary falling or slipping from a previous standard.

   a lapse of justice.

2. a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure.

   a lapse of memory.

3. an interval or passage of time; elapsed period.

   a lapse of ten minutes before the program resumed.

4. a moral fall, as from rectitude or virtue.

5. a fall or decline to a lower grade, condition, or degree; descent; regression.

   a lapse into savagery.

6. the act of falling, slipping, sliding, etc., slowly or by degrees.

7. a falling into disuse.

8. Insurance.,  discontinuance of coverage resulting from nonpayment of a premium; termination of a policy.

9. Law.,  the termination of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it or through failure of some contingency.

10. Meteorology.,  lapse rate.

11. Archaic.,  a gentle, downward flow, as of water.

verb (used without object)

lapsed, lapsing 

1. to fall or deviate from a previous standard; fail to maintain a normative level.

   Toward the end of the book the author lapsed into bad prose.

2. to come to an end; stop.

   We let our subscription to that magazine lapse.

3. to fall, slip, or sink; subside.

   to lapse into silence.

4. to fall into disuse.

   The custom lapsed after a period of time.

5. to deviate or abandon principles, beliefs, etc..

   to lapse into heresy.

6. to fall spiritually, as an apostate.

   to lapse from grace.

7. to pass away, as time; elapse.

8. Law.,  to become void, as a legacy to someone who dies before the testator.

9. to cease being in force; terminate.

   Your insurance policy will lapse after 30 days.

lapse

/ læps /

noun

1. a drop in standard of an isolated or temporary nature

   a lapse of justice

2. a break in occurrence, usage, etc

   a lapse of five weeks between letters

3. a gradual decline or a drop to a lower degree, condition, or state

   a lapse from high office

4. a moral fall

5. law the termination of some right, interest, or privilege, as by neglecting to exercise it or through failure of some contingency

6. insurance the termination of coverage following a failure to pay the premiums

verb

1. to drop in standard or fail to maintain a norm

2. to decline gradually or fall in status, condition, etc

3. to be discontinued, esp through negligence or other failure

4. (usually foll by into) to drift or slide (into a condition)

   to lapse into sleep

5. (often foll by from) to turn away (from beliefs or norms)

6. law (of a devise or bequest) to become void, as on the beneficiary's predeceasing the testator

7. (of time) to slip away

Other Word Forms

• lapsed adjective
• lapser noun
• lapsable adjective
• unlapsing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of lapse¹

1520–30; < Latin lāpsus an error, slipping, failing, equivalent to lāb ( ī ) to slide, slip, fall, make a mistake + -sus, for -tus suffix of v. action

Word History and Origins

Origin of lapse¹

C15: from Latin lāpsus error, from lābī to glide

Example Sentences

“This temporary coordinated effort is in place to ensure that there is no lapse in security.”

From Los Angeles Times

That lapse allowed the videos to become targets for online advertising, drawing the attention of federal regulators.

From Los Angeles Times

There were fundamental miscues on the bases and on defense, lapses Roberts boiled down to a simple lack of focus.

From Los Angeles Times

I can’t eat pork or shellfish, so whatever falls within the electric fence, my lapsing Judaism.

From Los Angeles Times

The council now has 30 days in which to decide whether to extend the sanctions relief or allow it to lapse.

From BBC

Related Words

• blunder 
• breach 
• crime 
• error 
• failing 
• failure 
• fault 
• indiscretion 
• miscue 
• negligence 
• offense 
• omission 
• oversight 
• sin 
• transgression 
• violation