elapse

American  

[ih-laps] / ɪˈlæps /

verb (used without object)

• elapses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• elapsed,
  past participle,  past
• elapsing
  present participle

1. (of time) to slip or pass by.

   Thirty minutes elapsed before the performance began.

---

noun

1. the passage or termination of a period of time; lapse.

elapse British  

/ ɪˈlæps /

verb

1. (intr) (of time) to pass by

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unelapsed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• elapsing
  present
• elapsed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• elapse
  simple
• elapses
  simple
• have elapsed
  perfect
• has elapsed
  perfect
• am elapsing
  progressive
• are elapsing
  progressive
• is elapsing
  progressive
• have been elapsing
  perfect progressive
• has been elapsing
  perfect progressive

Past

• elapsed
  simple
• had elapsed
  perfect
• was elapsing
  progressive
• were elapsing
  progressive
• had been elapsing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will elapse
  simple
• will have elapsed
  perfect
• will be elapsing
  progressive
• will have been elapsing
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of elapse

1635–45; < Latin ēlapsus (past participle of ēlābī to slip away), equivalent to e- e- ¹ + lab- slip + -sus for -tus past participle suffix

---

Explanation

When time passes by, you say it elapses. Four years elapse while you are in high school. Nine months elapse while you are in the womb. If two weeks have elapsed between your tennis lessons, there has been a two-week lapse between sessions. The word elapse comes from the Latin word elabi which means "to slip away." Time is one of those things that really does tend to slip away, unless you're sitting through a lecture on the nature of time. Then, it might feel like years elapse when really it is just a few minutes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

elapse elapses elapsed elapsing

You may even die before those nearly two decades elapse, so you would have lost out on all that extra loot.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 11, 2026

But the repercussions will reverberate for some time: at least 12 months must elapse from the last case to regain the important fever-free status.

From Barron's ● Dec. 2, 2025

"It therefore seems likely that many years will elapse before any such Crispr-based therapy becomes routine - even assuming that it can be shown to be effective."

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2024

They also face obstacles such as states’ statutes of limitations that may elapse before the patients sour on their transitions.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 5, 2023

Whoever spotted Asmodeus was to report, after letting one minute elapse, to Matthias, who was positioned roughly at the center of the line.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

“The more time elapses, however, the more crucial Pickaxe mountain appears to Iran’s reconstitution effort.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Disciplinary complaints against a lawyer actually have no statute of limitations, although the more time that elapses, the more difficult it will be to prove/investigate.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 2, 2026

MPs have a time limit to vote during a division and doorkeepers are instructed to lock the doors to the voting lobby once this elapses.

From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2024

I’m glad I didn’t, because it would have interfered with a phase that Tamariz considers part of the magical effect: the time that elapses after the trick is over.

From New York Times ● Jan. 2, 2023

Barely a century elapses when they are found wavering again, owing to circumstances then taking place in the East. 

From The Thistle and the Cedar of Lebanon by Habeeb Risk Allah

The elapsed time from report of fire movement to issuance of the order was just over an hour, the report found.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Consideration attributable to the elapsed portion of the reference period will be settled in shares, while the remaining consideration will be settled in cash, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

If a full 30 minutes has elapsed, the supporters can go back to their seats and players will have a short warm-up.

From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026

IHR said Mohammadi had 20 days to appeal under the law but warned there had in the past been cases of people being executed before this period elapsed.

From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026

Ere many minutes had elapsed, I was again on my feet, however, and again searching something—a resource, or at least an informant.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

The back-to-back turnovers dropped the Bengals win probability from 83.8% to 8.2% with only seconds of game time elapsing, according to the NFL’s modeling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 8, 2025

With years often elapsing between the incident and inquest, Alexander said inquests often open wounds and “re-traumatize” the families.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 15, 2023

But he says that this was impossible because the allotted six months began elapsing as soon as the estate was put up for sale.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2023

“That time elapsing, in itself, really showed us our own shame.”

From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2021

The first and most important of these phenomena relates to the interval of time elapsing between the sense perception of a thing of art, and the recognition by the mind of the beauty therein.

From Art Principles With Special Reference to Painting Together with Notes on the Illusions Produced by the Painter by Ernest Govett

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• expire
• pass by
• transpire

---