lapse

lapse

a temporary deviation; a slip or error: a lapse of judgment; discontinuance due to a late payment: She let her insurance lapse.

Not to be confused with:

laps – more than one lap: She swam five laps in the pool. My cat sits in the laps of all of my guests whether they like her or not.

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree

lapse

 (lăps)

v. lapsed, laps·ing, laps·es

v.intr.

1.

a. To fall from a previous level or standard, as of accomplishment, quality, or conduct: lapse into bad habits; a team that lapsed into mediocrity halfway through the season.

b. To deviate from a prescribed or accepted way: lapse into heresy.

c. To pass gradually or smoothly; slip: lapse into reverie.

2.

a. To come to an end, especially gradually or temporarily: He realized that his attention had lapsed and he hadn't heard the assignment.

b. To be no longer valid or active; expire: She allowed her membership to lapse after the first year.

3. Law To cease to be available as a result of expiration, disuse, or impossibility. Used of a right or privilege.

4. To go by; elapse: Years had lapsed since we last met.

v.tr.

To allow to lapse.

n.

1. The act or an instance of lapsing, as:

a. A usually minor or temporary failure; a slip: a lapse of memory; a lapse in judgment.

b. A deterioration or decline: a lapse into barbarism.

c. A moral fall: a lapse from grace.

2. A break in continuity; a pause: a lapse in the conversation.

3. A period of time; an interval: a lapse of several years between the two revolutions.

4. Law The termination of a right or privilege as a result of expiration, disuse, or impossibility.

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[Middle English lapsen, to deviate from the normal, from laps, lapse of time, sin (from Old French, lapse of time, from Latin lāpsus, from past participle of lābī, to lapse) and from Latin lāpsāre, frequentative of lābī.]

---

laps′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

lapse

(læps)

n

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

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

vb (intr)

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

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

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

10. (usually foll by into) to drift or slide (into a condition): to lapse into sleep.

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

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

13. (of time) to slip away

[C15: from Latin lāpsus error, from lābī to glide]

ˈlapsable, ˈlapsible adj

lapsed adj

ˈlapser n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

lapse

(læps)

n., v. lapsed, laps•ing. n.

1. an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state: a lapse of justice.

2. a slip or error, often of a trivial sort: a lapse of memory.

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

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

5. a fall or decline to a lower grade, condition, or degree: a lapse into savagery.

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

7. a falling into disuse.

8. termination of an insurance policy, due to nonpayment of a premium.

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

10. lapse rate.

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

v.i.

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

13. to come to an end; stop: We let our subscription lapse.

14. to fall, slip, or sink; subside: to lapse into silence.

15. to fall into disuse: The custom lapsed after many years.

16. to deviate or abandon principles, beliefs, etc.: to lapse into heresy.

17. to fall spiritually, as an apostate.

18. to pass away, as time; elapse.

19. (of an insurance policy) to cease being in force; terminate.

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

[1520–30; < Latin lāpsus an error, slipping =lāb(ī) to slip, err + -sus, for -tus suffix of v. action]

laps′a•ble, laps′i•ble, adj.

Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

lapse

Past participle: lapsed
Gerund: lapsing

Imperative

lapse

lapse

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	lapse - a mistake resulting from inattention oversight error, fault, mistake - a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention; "he made a bad mistake"; "she was quick to point out my errors"; "I could understand his English in spite of his grammatical faults"
	2.	lapse - a break or intermission in the occurrence of something; "a lapse of three weeks between letters" pause, suspension, intermission, interruption, break - a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
	3.	lapse - a failure to maintain a higher state backsliding, lapsing, relapse, relapsing, reverting, reversion failure - an act that fails; "his failure to pass the test" recidivism - habitual relapse into crime
Verb	1.	lapse - pass into a specified state or condition; "He sank into nirvana" sink, pass move - go or proceed from one point to another; "the debate moved from family values to the economy"
	2.	lapse - end, at least for a long time; "The correspondence lapsed" end, cease, terminate, finish, stop - have an end, in a temporal, spatial, or quantitative sense; either spatial or metaphorical; "the bronchioles terminate in a capillary bed"; "Your rights stop where you infringe upon the rights of other"; "My property ends by the bushes"; "The symphony ends in a pianissimo"
	3.	lapse - drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards backslide drop away, fall away, slip, drop off - get worse; "My grades are slipping"
	4.	lapse - go back to bad behavior; "Those who recidivate are often minor criminals" recidivate, relapse, retrogress, regress, fall back retrovert, revert, turn back, regress, return - go back to a previous state; "We reverted to the old rules"
	5.	lapse - let slip; "He lapsed his membership" forfeit, give up, throw overboard, waive, forgo, forego - lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime; "you've forfeited your right to name your successor"; "forfeited property"
	6.	lapse - pass by; "three years elapsed" elapse, glide by, go by, slide by, slip by, slip away, go along, pass advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" fell, vanish, fly - pass away rapidly; "Time flies like an arrow"; "Time fleeing beneath him"

Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

lapse

noun

1. decline, fall, drop, descent, deterioration, relapse, backsliding His behaviour showed neither decency or dignity. It was an uncommon lapse.

2. mistake, failing, fault, failure, error, slip, negligence, omission, oversight, indiscretion The incident was being seen as a serious security lapse.

3. interval, break, gap, passage, pause, interruption, lull, breathing space, intermission a time lapse between receipt of new information and its publication

verb

1. slip, fall, decline, sink, drop, slide, deteriorate, degenerate Teenagers occasionally find it all too much to cope with and lapse into bad behaviour.

2. end, stop, run out, expire, terminate, become obsolete, become void Her membership of the Labour Party has lapsed.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

lapse

verb

1. To slip from a higher or better condition to a former, usually lower or poorer one:

backslide, regress, relapse, retrogress, revert.

2. To become or cause to become less active or intense:

abate, bate, die (away, down, off, or out), ease (off or up), ebb, fall, fall off, let up, moderate, remit, slacken, slack off, subside, wane.

3. To move smoothly, continuously, and effortlessly:

glide, glissade, slide, slip, slither.

4. To become void, especially through passage of time or an omission:

expire, run out.

5. To move past in time:

elapse, go (by), pass.

noun

1. A minor mistake:

slip, slip-up.

Informal: fluff.

2. An act or thought that unintentionally deviates from what is correct, right, or true:

erratum, error, inaccuracy, incorrectness, miscue, misstep, mistake, slip, slip-up, trip.

3. A slipping from a higher or better condition to a lower or poorer one:

backslide, backsliding, recidivation, recidivism, relapse.

The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Translations

زَلَّه، هَفْوَهمُرور ، إنْقِضاءيَتَوَقَّفيَسْقُط، يَهْبِط

odumřítselháníupadnoutuplynutízaniknout

henfalde tilperiodesvigtsynkeudløbe

ablaufenerlöschensinkenVersehenZeitspanne

lapso

fautegaffeintervallelapsretomber

elévülleforgásvisszasüllyed

eftir visst langan tíma; hléfalla niîurglappaskot, mistök; misminnihrasa; hrörna; fara aftur

mancareintervallolassoscaderesvista

apsirikimaspraėjusio laiko tarpas

beigtieskļūdalaika plūdums/sprīdismisēklispāriet

erindringsfeilgli utglipphenfalle tiltidsrom

błądpomyłkapotknięcie

arahakkını kaybetmekhatakötüleşmekkötüye gitmek

失误流逝终止陷入

lapse

[læps]

A. N

1. (= error) → fallo m, lapsus m inv; (= lack) → falta f
she has the occasional lapse of memory → de vez en cuando tiene fallos or lapsus de memoria
it was a lapse of judgement on his part → fue un error de cálculo por su parte
the accident was caused by a momentary lapse of or in concentration → el accidente lo provocó un despiste momentáneo, el accidente lo provocó una falta momentánea de concentración

2. [of time] → lapso m, intervalo m, período m
after a lapse of four months → después de un lapso or intervalo or período de cuatro meses, al cabo de cuatro meses
there was a momentary lapse in the conversation → hubo un breve silencio en medio de la conversación

B. VI

1. (= slip) to lapse into one's old ways → volver a las andadas
he lapsed into silence → se calló, se quedó callado
he lapsed into unconsciousness → perdió el conocimiento
he lapsed into the vernacular → recurrió a la lengua vernácula

2. (= expire) [season ticket] → caducar, vencer

3. (= cease to exist) our friendship lapsed when she moved to London → dejamos de vernos cuando ella se fue a Londres

4. (= decline) [standards] → entrar en declive

5. (= pass) [time] → pasar, transcurrir

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

lapse

[ˈlæps]

n

(in behaviour) → écart m (de conduite)

(= failure) → défaillance f

[concentration, judgement] → erreur f
a lapse of memory → un trou de mémoire

lapse of time, time lapse → laps m de temps
the lapse of time since the incident → le laps de temps écoulé depuis l'incident
He was not conscious of the time lapse → Il n'avait pas conscience du laps de temps qui s'était écoulé.
a lapse of 50 years → un laps de temps de 5O ans
time lapse → laps m de temps

vi

(= expire) [membership] → expirer; [offer, bid, contract] → expirer

(= fall) to lapse into silence → retomber dans le silence
to lapse into a coma → tomber dans le coma
to lapse into bad habits → prendre de mauvaises habitudes

(= pass) [time] → s'écouler

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

lapse

n

(= error) → Fehler m; (moral) → Fehltritt m, → Verfehlung f; lapse of judgement → Fehlurteil nt; he had a momentary lapse of concentration → seine Konzentration ließ einen Augenblick nach; to suffer from lapses of memory or memory lapses → an Gedächtnisschwäche leiden; lapse of taste → Geschmacksverirrung f; a serious security lapse → ein schwerer Verstoß gegen die Sicherheitsvorkehrungen

(= decline) → Absinken nt no pl, → Abgleiten nt no pl; a lapse in confidence → ein Vertrauensschwund m; lapse in standards → Niveauabfall m; he noticed her lapse into German → ihm fiel auf, dass sie ins Deutsche verfiel

(= expiry) → Ablauf m; (of claim) → Verfall m, → Erlöschen nt; (= cessation) → Aussterben nt, → Schwinden nt

(of time) → Zeitspanne f, → Zeitraum m; time lapse → Zeitspanne f, → Zeitraum m; after a lapse of 4 months → nach (einem Zeitraum von) 4 Monaten; there was a lapse in the conversation → es gab eine Gesprächspause

vi

(= make mistake) → einen Fehler begehen, etwas falsch machen; (morally) → fehlen (liter), → einen Fehltritt begehen, unrecht tun; to lapse from one’s faith → von seinem Glauben abfallen, seinem Glauben abtrünnig werden

(= decline) → verfallen (→ into in +acc), → abgleiten (→ from sth into sth von etw in etw acc); to lapse into one’s old ways → wieder in seine alten Gewohnheiten verfallen; he lapsed into German/legal jargon → er verfiel ins Deutsche/in den Anwaltsjargon; he lapsed into silence → er versank in Schweigen; he lapsed into a coma → er sank in ein Koma; he/his work is lapsing → er/seine Arbeit lässt nach, mit ihm/seiner Arbeit geht es bergab

(= expire) → ablaufen; (claims) → verfallen, erlöschen; (= cease to exist) → aussterben; (friendship, correspondence) → einschlafen; after two months have lapsed → nach (Ablauf von) zwei Monaten

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

lapse

[læps]

1. n

a. (fault) → mancanza; (in behaviour) → scorrettezza
a lapse (of memory) → un vuoto (di memoria)
a lapse into bad habits → un ritorno alle cattive abitudini

b. (of time) → intervallo

2. vi

a. (err) → sgarrare
to lapse in one's duty → mancare al proprio dovere

b. (fall slowly) to lapse into bad habits → prendere cattive abitudini
to lapse into one's old ways → ritornare a poco a poco alle vecchie abitudini
to let one's attention lapse → distrarsi
to lapse into silence → tacere
she lapsed into unconsciousness → scivolò in uno stato di incoscienza

c. (law, act) → cadere, andare in prescrizione; (membership, passport, ticket) → scadere

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

lapse

(lӕps) verb

1. to cease to exist, often because of lack of effort. His insurance policy had lapsed and was not renewed. verval يَتَوَقَّف изтичам caducar odumřít, zaniknout ablaufen udløbe εκπνέωcaducar, vencerse kehtivust kaotama منقضی شدن raueta expirer לָפוּג रद्द हो जाना isteći elévül kedaluwarsa falla niður scadere 失効する 쇠퇴하다 nustoti galiojus (par termiņu) paiet; beigties; (par dokumentu, likumu) zaudēt spēku luput vervallenutløpewygasnąć ،د پيدايښت سبب كيدل،وجه واقع كيدل caducar a expira прекращаться zaniknúť zapasti isteći förfalla, upphöra หยุด zamanı geçmek, hakkını kaybetmek 終止 втрачати чинність زائل ہو جانا mất hiệu lực 终止

2. to slip, fall, be reduced. As he could think of nothing more to say, he lapsed into silence; I'm afraid our standards of tidiness have lapsed. verval, daal يَسْقُط، يَهْبِط падам cair upadnout sinken henfalde til; synke πέφτω, μειώνομαιcaer, quedarse vajuma, langema ساقط یا زایل شدن vaipua tomber dans לְהִיכּנס לְמַצָב שֶׁל अवनत हो जाना popustiti visszasüllyed merosot hrasa; hrörna; fara aftur cadere, scivolare 陥る (어떤 상태로) 빠지다, 들어가다, 되다 pulti, kristi, (nu)smukti zust; pāriet berkurang verzinken, achteruitgaanhenfalle til, gli ut popadać, podupaść له منځه تلل، ضايع كيدل cair a (re)cădea (în); a scădea впадать; деградировать upadnúť (do) pasti opasti falla, förfalla จมอยู่ใน; ตกลงสู่ kötüleşmek, kötüye gitmek 下降，滑落，陷入 впадати; падати معیار میں کمی آ جانا sa vào 陷入

noun

1. a mistake or failure (in behaviour, memory etc). a lapse of memory. vergissing زَلَّه، هَفْوَه грешка lapso selhání das Versehen svigt; -svigt λάθος, ολίσθημαfallo, error, desliz, lapsus eksimus انحراف virhe faute, défaillanceשכחה चूक greška, zakazivanje hiba, kihagyás kegagalan glappaskot, mistök; misminni vuoto, perdita, dimenticanza まちがい 실수 klaida, apsirikimas kļūda; misēklis; pārskatīšanās terlupa foutglipp, erindringsfeil lapsus, potknięcie سهوه،غلطى lapso greşeală; scăpare, lapsus оплошность, провал chyba, zlyhanie spodrsljaj gubitak lapsus, förbiseende, misstag การพลาดพลั้ง yanılma, hata 失誤 промилка; провал غلطی sự lầm lẫn 失误

2. a passing away (of time). I saw him again after a lapse of five years. verloop مُرور ، إنْقِضاء период intervalo uplynutí die Zeitspanne periode διάστημα χρόνου intervalo, lapso vaheaeg گذشت زمان ajan kuluminen intervalle פֶּרק זְמָן समाप्ति prolazak múlás (időé), leforgás lewat eftir visst langan tíma; hlé intervallo 経過 (시간의) 경과, 추이 praėjusio laiko tarpas laika plūdums/sprīdis selang het verstrijken tidsromupływ ،تيرول وختد intervalo interval промежуток uplynutie minevanje (časa) razmak tid[rymd] เวลาที่ผ่านไป ara 流逝 проміжок часу گزرے وقت کی مدت khoảng (thời gian) 流逝

Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

lapse

n. [time] lapso, intervalo de tiempo.

English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

lapse

n lapso, lapsus m; — of memory laguna mental, lapsus de memoria

English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.