lapse
verb/læps/
/læps/
Verb Forms
Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they lapse | /læps/ /læps/ |
| he / she / it lapses | /ˈlæpsɪz/ /ˈlæpsɪz/ |
| past simple lapsed | /læpst/ /læpst/ |
| past participle lapsed | /læpst/ /læpst/ |
| -ing form lapsing | /ˈlæpsɪŋ/ /ˈlæpsɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive] (of a contract, an agreement, etc.) to no longer be legally recognized because the period of time that it lasts has come to an end
- She had allowed her membership to lapse.
- The treaty lapsed in 1995.
- The booking will automatically lapse if the deposit is not paid within two weeks.
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- [intransitive] to gradually become weaker or come to an end synonym expire
- His concentration lapsed after a few minutes.
- This custom had lapsed over the years.
- [intransitive] lapse (from something) to stop believing in or practising your religion
- He lapsed from Judaism when he was a student.
Word Originlate Middle English: from Latin lapsus, from labi ‘to glide, slip, or fall’; the verb reinforced by Latin lapsare ‘to slip or stumble’.
Check pronunciation:
lapse