I. ˈlaps noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin lapsus fault, error, fall, slide, from lapsus, past participle of labi to glide, slide — more at sleep
1.
a. : an accidental mistake in fact or departure from an accepted norm : trivial fault : slip , error
lapse of memory
lapse of taste
the performances show this great pianist at the height of his powers, whatever rhythmical or technical lapses they may contain — Edward Sackville-West
b. : a temporary deviation
lapse from consciousness
lapse from respectability
writes well, despite occasional lapses into polysyllabic humor — Geographical Journal
2.
a. : fall ; specifically : a decrease of temperature, pressure, or value of other meteorological element as the height increases — see lapse rate
b. : loss , lowering , decline , drop
a sudden lapse of confidence — Josephine Johnson
lapse in the supply of college graduates during the war years — M.L.Kastens
lapse from grace
3.
a.
(1) : the termination or failure of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it within some limit of time or through failure of some contingency — compare expiry
(2) Eng eccl law : the transfer of the right to present or collate a rector to a vacant benefice from one having the first right and neglecting to exercise it to one having a secondary right
(3) : termination of coverage (as by life insurance) for nonpayment of premiums
b. : an interruption or discontinuance
lapse of a custom
resumed dividends after a lapse during the depression — P.J.O'Brien
masters narrative lapses with great skill — C.C.Rister
4.
a. : a yielding to temptation or inclination : transitory disregard of moral principles : folly
his laxity of conduct, his moral lapses — S.H.Adams
b. : an abandonment of religious faith or principles : apostasy , backslide
prior to Adam's lapse — R.W.Murray
5.
a. archaic : a continuous flow or gentle downward glide (as of water)
down comes the stream, a lapse of living amethyst — Thomas Aird
b. : a continuous passage or an elapsed period of time : course , interval
a transaction involving a considerable lapse of time because the shares could not be sold until the state debt was paid — W.P.Webb
except for a lapse of two years when he studied abroad, he has taught continuously since graduation
Synonyms: see error
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
intransitive verb
1.
a. : to fall into error or folly : depart from an accepted standard
lapses into addiction again at the first temptation — Time
purchases … where his discrimination lapsed — Basil Taylor
specifically : backslide
in their view Constantinople had lapsed into heresy — R.M.French
b. : to sink or slip involuntarily : subside , relapse
murmurs good morning … and lapses into silence — Gertrude Samuels
some lapsed into reading and others into sleep — Earle Birney
why does starry-eyed youth lapse into flabby middle-aged vacuity — Douglas Bush
the moment his attention is relaxed … he will lapse into bad Shakespearean verse — T.S.Eliot
2. : to go out of existence : fall into decay or disuse : disappear , terminate
the nest-building impulse … lapses when the eggs are laid — E.A.Armstrong
could think of no rejoinder … and our conversation lapsed — Maurice Cranston
a relationship may be allowed to lapse , but it can never be dissolved — G.M.Foster
this series of experiments seems to have lapsed around 1910 — Frank Denman
3. : to fall or pass from one proprietor to another or from the original destination by the omission, negligence, or failure of some one (as a patron or legatee)
a legacy lapses when it fails to vest
an insurance policy lapses with forfeiture of value from nonpayment of a premium when due
4.
a. of time : to run its course : pass
the whole fund might be lost … by the lapsing of the time allowed — A.D.White
b. : to glide past
saw the washed pavement lapsing beneath my fee — L.P.Smith
c. : to glide gently along
lolled with their lovers by lapsing brooks — W.H.Auden
barges lapsing on its tranquil tide — C.C.Clarke
transitive verb
1. obsolete : lose , forfeit
a vestry cannot lapse their right of presentation — William Byrd
2. : to make ineffective by failing to meet the requirements of : let slip : nullify
lapsed his policy
the high percentage of patients lapsing therapy — Journal American Medical Association