elapse

American

[ih-laps] / ɪˈlæps /

verb (used without object)

elapsed, elapsing

(of time) to slip or pass by.

Thirty minutes elapsed before the performance began.

noun

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

elapse British

/ ɪˈlæps /

verb

(intr) (of time) to pass by

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

About half that time has now elapsed, with United travelling to play Atletico in the Champions League last 16 on Thursday, 12 February and hosting the second leg seven days later.

From BBC

Sources have told BBC Sport that Bournemouth want him to play against the Gunners and then Tottenham on Wednesday 7 January before the release mechanism in his deal elapses on 10 January.

From BBC

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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023