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, laps·ing.

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

Derived Forms

• lapsed, adjective
• ˈlapser, noun
• ˈlapsable, adjective

Other Words From

• lapser noun
• un·lapsing 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

When the Farm Bill extension expired on Sept. 30, leaders from hunger and food justice organizations nationwide raised alarms about the further delays in federal action that the lapse would likely exacerbate.

From Salon

In a letter to parishioners last year, Mr Gigantiello said allowing Carpenter to film inside the church was a "lapse in judgment".

From BBC

For all the history, glory, rags-to-riches stories, boxing is - at its very essence - a gladiatorial sport where one punch, hesitation or lapse of concentration can prove fatal.

From BBC

They concluded her behaviour indicated "a serious lapse in professional judgment" and suspended her from the nursing register for a year, preventing her working in healthcare.

From BBC

He was taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, where he was given morphine for the pain; he lapsed into a coma and died a few weeks later.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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