elapse

American  

[ih-laps] / ɪˈlæps /

verb (used without object)

elapsed, elapsing

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

• unelapsed adjective

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

Example Sentences

While two centuries may have elapsed, "the characters and the emotional journeys that they go on really feel like they haven't aged at all," she says.

From BBC

Several hours had elapsed, and their options were running out.

From BBC

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

I had tried to telegraph to the group that coming back was not a given, and I think the fact that a long time that elapsed also made that clear.

From Los Angeles Times

"Because such a lot of time has elapsed, the evidence would have disappeared and the possibility of a reinvestigation is impossible."

From BBC

Related Words

• expire
• pass by
• transpire