elapse

[ ih-laps ]

/ ɪˈlæps /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR elapse ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), e·lapsed, e·laps·ing.

(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.

Nearby words

elam, elamite, elamitic, eland, elapid, elapse, elara, elasmobranch, elasmosaur, elastance, elastane

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

Related forms

un·e·lapsed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for elapsed

But by the time a critical wanted poster sent via fax arrived, more than two hours elapsed.
Alleged Cop Killer Ismaaiyl Brinsley Had a Death Wish|M.L. Nestel|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Forty-five minutes were estimated to have elapsed from the time the stabbing began until the killer left.
The Myth of the Central Park Five|Edward Conlon|October 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
During the moment which elapsed between her reply and my answer I thought of a thousand responses to that innocent confession.
Read ‘The King in Yellow,’ the ‘True Detective’ Reference That’s the Key to the Show|Robert W. Chambers|February 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
More than a year elapsed before Hawes found an attorney willing to handle the pardon request.
The Jazz Pianist That John F. Kennedy Saved|Ted Gioia|August 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The 24 years that have elapsed have already blurred the small details, the memories and the feelings.
Opening Up About Sexual Assault in Israel|Emily L. Hauser|June 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
About a quarter of an hour, as I say, had elapsed since I had told them the news when a loud assertive voice fell on my ear.
Trafalgar|Benito Prez Galds
Long intervals, however, elapsed in most cases between the original synopsis and the final touches.
The Forged Coupon and Other Stories|Leo Tolstoy
After another half-hour had elapsed, the two workmen quitted the studio to go to dinner, and Luca and his brother were left alone.
After Dark|Wilkie Collins
Several weeks had elapsed since the incidents recorded in the last chapter.
Wild Western Scenes|John Beauchamp Jones
Some days elapsed before I was allowed to know of Walters arrival, but I knew of it nevertheless.
Memoirs of Leonora Christina|Leonora Christina Ulfeldt

British Dictionary definitions for elapsed

elapse

/ (ɪˈlæps) /

verb

(intr) (of time) to pass by

Word Origin for elapse

C17: from Latin ēlābī to slip away, from lābī to slip, glide

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

elapse

verb (used without object), e·lapsed, e·laps·ing.

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of elapse

Related forms

Examples from the Web for elapsed

British Dictionary definitions for elapsed

elapse

verb

Word Origin for elapse