Meaning

A temporary failure; a slip..

Definitions by Sense

1. A temporary failure; a slip.
2. A decline or fall in standards.
3. A pause in continuity.
4. An interval of time between events.
5. A termination of a right etc., through disuse or neglect.
6. (meteorology) A marked decrease in air temperature with increasing altitude because the ground is warmer than the surrounding air.
7. (law) A common-law rule that if the person to whom property is willed were to die before the testator, then the gift would be ineffective.
8. (theology) A fall or apostasy.

Example Sentences

memory lapse

lapse of judgment

lapse in security

lapse in concentration

Now, tho’ this Scripture may be usefully understood and apply’d by us as a Caution to guard against those Lapses and Failings to which our Infirmities daily expose us

The lapse to indolence is soft and imperceptible, because it is only a mere cessation of activity

Still onward winds the dreary way; ⁠I with it; for I long to prove ⁠No lapse of moons can canker Love, Whatever fickle tongues may say.

Bacon was content to wait the lapse of long centuries for his expected revenue of fame

Word Forms

• lapses
• lapsing
• lapsed

Synonyms for lapse

Related Words

When Should You Use Lapse?

Use lapse when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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