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
Not a minute had elapsed, such were the fearful powers of this old woman.
Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official|William Sleeman

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