elapse

American  

[ih-laps] / ɪˈlæps /

verb (used without object)

elapsed, elapsing

1. (of time) to slip or pass by.

   Thirty minutes elapsed before the performance began.

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noun

1. the passage or termination of a period of time; lapse.

elapse British  

/ ɪˈlæps /

verb

1. (intr) (of time) to pass by

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Other Word Forms

• unelapsed adjective

Etymology

Origin of elapse

1635–45; < Latin ēlapsus (past participle of ēlābī to slip away), equivalent to e- e- ¹ + lab- slip + -sus for -tus past participle suffix

Explanation

When time passes by, you say it elapses. Four years elapse while you are in high school. Nine months elapse while you are in the womb. If two weeks have elapsed between your tennis lessons, there has been a two-week lapse between sessions. The word elapse comes from the Latin word elabi which means "to slip away." Time is one of those things that really does tend to slip away, unless you're sitting through a lecture on the nature of time. Then, it might feel like years elapse when really it is just a few minutes.

Example Sentences

But the repercussions will reverberate for some time: at least 12 months must elapse from the last case to regain the important fever-free status.

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

"It therefore seems likely that many years will elapse before any such Crispr-based therapy becomes routine - even assuming that it can be shown to be effective."

From BBC • Mar. 19, 2024

The potholes and footprints created in the process “tend to stay for a long time,” she said, given that years may elapse before Lake Manly returns to the desert.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 6, 2024

They also face obstacles such as states’ statutes of limitations that may elapse before the patients sour on their transitions.

From Washington Times • Dec. 5, 2023

Whoever spotted Asmodeus was to report, after letting one minute elapse, to Matthias, who was positioned roughly at the center of the line.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Related Words

• expire
• pass by
• transpire