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Synonyms

lapsed

American  
[lapst] / læpst /

adjective

  1. expired; voided; terminated.

    a lapsed insurance policy.

  2. no longer committed to or following the tenets of a particular belief, obligation, position, etc..

    a lapsed Catholic.

Other Word Forms

  • unlapsed adjective

Etymology

Origin of lapsed

First recorded in 1610–20; lapse + -ed 2

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.

I relent that I’m both a lapsed fashion student and someone who spent their adolescence and early teens marveling at Jacobs’ designs and Coppola’s films.

From Salon

Fans won’t ever know exactly why the doting parents lapsed in their watch of the eggs a month ago, though the nonprofit believes they had their reasons.

From Los Angeles Times

According to the actor, she had signed a contract only for the use of her image on the e-services platform, and the agreement lapsed in December last year.

From Barron's

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed on Feb. 14.

From MarketWatch

Funding for the Department of Homeland Security lapsed Saturday at 12:01 a.m.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.