elapse

[ ih-laps ]

/ ɪˈlæps /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: elapse / elapsed / elapsing 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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

OTHER WORDS FROM elapse

un·e·lapsed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use elapse in a sentence

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
As so much time has elapsed since the orders were given, the persons that ordered them are quite impotent.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Smoke not before breakfast, nor till an hour has elapsed after a good meal.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The inscription of the Rupuath Rock has the words: "Two hundred and fifty years have elapsed since the departure of the teacher."
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Not until forty-four years had elapsed did she renew her acquaintance with the family in the person of Peter Ilich.
The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky|Modeste Tchaikovsky
Pernambuco had during the half century which had elapsed since the expulsion of the Dutch had time to recruit.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham

British Dictionary definitions for elapse

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

Origin of elapse

OTHER WORDS FROM elapse

Words related to elapse

How to use elapse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for elapse

Word Origin for elapse