lapsed
Americanadjective
-
expired; voided; terminated.
a lapsed insurance policy.
-
no longer committed to or following the tenets of a particular belief, obligation, position, etc..
a lapsed Catholic.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of lapsed
Explanation
Someone who's lapsed has stopped participating in some activity or following some particular rules. A lapsed Baptist was raised in the Baptist church but no longer practices this religion. If you describe yourself as a lapsed Catholic or a lapsed Hindu, you once took an active part in your religion and now you don't — in fact, you may no longer believe. This adjective can also mean "expired," like your dog's lapsed license, which ran out months ago and you keep forgetting to renew. Lapsed comes from the verb lapse, which stems from either the Latin lapsus, "a slipping and falling," or lapsare, "to lose one's footing."
Vocabulary lists containing lapsed
How the García Girls Lost Their Accents
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"A Snake Falls to Earth" by Darcie Little Badger, List 5
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Love, Hate & Other Filters
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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.
But when they lapsed at the end of 2025, the average subsidized enrollee’s cost to keep the same plan jumped about 114%.
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
The life insurance company likely has no obligation to pay a lapsed policy.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
He suggested the country would charge ships crossing the key passage after the 60-day period in the agreement had lapsed.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
When 702 faced a similar deadline in April 2024, two major communications providers said they would cease turning over the data if it lapsed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
The secretary shrugged, smiling painfully; they lapsed into silence for a minute.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
