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lapse - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'lapse' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Lapse [ n.]
- A gliding, slipping, or gradual falling; an unobserved or imperceptible progress or passing away,; -- restricted usually to immaterial things, or to figurative uses.
- A slip; an error; a fault; a failing in duty; a slight deviation from truth or rectitude.
- The termination of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it within the limited time, or through failure of some contingency; hence, the devolution of a right or privilege.
- A fall or apostasy.
2 . Lapse [ v. i.]
- To pass slowly and smoothly downward, backward, or away; to slip downward, backward, or away; to glide; -- mostly restricted to figurative uses.
- To slide or slip in moral conduct; to fail in duty; to fall from virtue; to deviate from rectitude; to commit a fault by inadvertence or mistake.
- 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, a legatee, etc.
- To become ineffectual or void; to fall.
3 . Lapse [ v. t.]
- To let slip; to permit to devolve on another; to allow to pass.
- To surprise in a fault or error; hence, to surprise or catch, as an offender.

Meaning of 'lapse' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . lapse [ n]
Meaning (1):
- a break or intermission in the occurrence of something
Example in sentence:
  • a lapse of three weeks between letters
2 . lapse [ v]
Meaning (2):
- let slip
Example in sentence:
  • He lapsed his membership
Meaning (3):
- pass into a specified state or condition
Example in sentence:
  • He sank into nirvana
Meaning (4):
- end, at least for a long time
Example in sentence:
  • The correspondence lapsed
Meaning (5):
- go back to bad behavior
Example in sentence:
  • Those who recidivate are often minor criminals
Meaning (6):
- pass by
Example in sentence:
  • three years elapsed

Nearby Words:

lap lap-jointed lap-welded laparocele laparotomy lapboard lapdog lapel lapelled lapful

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