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time-lapse

American  
[tahym-laps] / ˈtaɪmˌlæps /

adjective

  1. done by means of time-lapse photography.

    a time-lapse study of the blooming of a flower.


Etymology

Origin of time-lapse

First recorded in 1925–30

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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.

"The breakthrough was learning how to turn that time-lapse into hourly maps of currents by tracking how temperature patterns bend, stretch and move from one hour to the next."

From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026

The photography is occasionally dazzling—a standout sequence is a series of time-lapse images providing views of the movements of the stars over Africa—but Mr. Herzog is primarily a storyteller, albeit a digressive one.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 26, 2026

The Instagram page for Mission Impossible - The Final Reckoning posted a time-lapse video of Wilf Elliott drawing his artwork.

From BBC • Feb. 7, 2025

To understand how crucial the reservoir has been, check out this time-lapse mapping of aircraft cycling from Encino to the fire and back.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 11, 2025

His jacket hung on his chair back; his napkin uncrumpled slowly beside his plate, blooming like something out of a time-lapse photography sequence.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

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