Definitions of lapse:

  • noun:   a break or intermission in the occurrence of something
    Example: "A lapse of three weeks between letters"
  • noun:   a failure to maintain a higher state
  • noun:   a mistake resulting from inattention
  • verb:   let slip
    Example: "He lapsed his membership"
  • verb:   end, at least for a long time
    Example: "The correspondence lapsed"
  • verb:   drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards
  • verb:   pass by
    Example: "Three years elapsed"
  • verb:   go back to bad behavior
  • verb:   pass into a specified state or condition