lapse
noun
an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state; a temporary falling or slipping from a previous standard.
had been lapsing
-
past perfect progressiveof lapse.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
And while his moral sentiments had been lapsing for generations, note what a gain there has been in his animal development; for he is next of kin to the common house-cat.
From A Breeze from the Woods, 2nd Ed. by William Chauncey Bartlett
It was the first time she had heard of it; a fact which shows into what a state of savagery he had been lapsing.
From The Blue Lagoon: a romance by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole
Wanhope had been lapsing deeper and deeper into the hollow of his chair; but he now pulled himself up, and turned quickly toward Rulledge.
From The Daughter of the Storage And Other Things in Prose and Verse by William Dean Howells
