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.
have lapsed
-
present perfectof lapse.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
These labels specify indications for which the patents on a branded drug have lapsed, but exclude indications for which patents are still in effect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026
Suozzi’s ties to The Fellowship don’t appear to have lapsed at any point, even during his year out of Congress.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
The prosecution alleges that Mr Dorris may have lapsed into a "micro-sleep" at the time of the crash or had become "disorientated".
From BBC ● May 18, 2023
America’s schools say kids are hungry — just as pandemic-era benefit programs have lapsed.
From Washington Times ● Mar. 11, 2023
His title would have lapsed, had His Highness the King not seen lit to name a nephew as the new Lord Cheldthorpe, and so create the title again anew. 03-01 did not know this nephew.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
