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.

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noun

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

elapse British  

/ ɪˈlæps /

verb

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

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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

It is a race to 106 - and the more time elapses, the more chance Infantino can persuade his former allies this was just an aberration.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026

As the pair do some sightseeing, share meals and otherwise fill their days with prosaic acts, more than 30 minutes of screen time elapses in what amounts to stage-setting.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 19, 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

Unlike the GLP-1 hormone, which is rapidly metabolized by the body, semaglutide and similar medications have much longer half-lives, meaning the medication can build up inside the body if not enough time elapses between doses.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2023

Not a day elapses but she is found in the hospitals, unless indeed she is absent on an errand of mercy up the Tennessee, or to the hospitals in Kentucky.

From Nurse and Spy in the Union Army The Adventures and Experiences of a Woman in Hospitals, Camps, and Battle-Fields by S. Emma E. Edmonds

If two clubs transfer players in the same window after the 45 days have elapsed they could still be considered as swaps if there is anything in the contracts to connect them.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Sometimes, the differential is simply about the time elapsed: A stunning silver pitcher by the aforementioned Revere with accompanying documentation was estimated to bring—at auction, as the experts always caution—between $25,000 and $60,000.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 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

By the time the agents shoved me into that unmarked SUV, three minutes and 30 seconds had elapsed.

From Slate ● Jan. 23, 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

French data comes a day after figures showed German inflation climbed to 2.8% this month, mostly on the back of energy prices, as well as the elapsing of a fuel tax-rebate program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

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

From New York Times ● Dec. 15, 2021

Mr Riddell also warned that the recruitment process was being "rushed", with only two months elapsing between the closing date for applications and the start date for the job.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2014

Fleda made no further allusion to Mrs. Gereth's leaving her; their dumbness, with the elapsing minutes, grew to be in itself a reconstituted bond.

From The Spoils of Poynton by Henry James

Related Words

• expire
• pass by
• transpire