Definition of "lapse" in English

noun

1. A temporary failure; a slip.

   • memory lapse
   • lapse of judgment
   • lapse in security
   • lapse in concentration

2. A decline or fall in standards.

3. A pause in continuity.

4. An interval of time between events.

5. A termination of a right etc., through disuse or neglect.

6. (meteorology) A marked decrease in air temperature with increasing altitude because the ground is warmer than the surrounding air.

7. (law) A common-law rule that if the person to whom property is willed were to die before the testator, then the gift would be ineffective.

8. (theology) A fall or apostasy.

verb

1. (intransitive) To fall away gradually; to subside.

2. (intransitive) To fall into error or heresy.

3. To slip into a bad habit that one is trying to avoid.

4. (intransitive) To become void.

5. To fall or pass from one proprietor to another, or from the original destination, by the omission, negligence, or failure of somebody, such as a patron or legatee.