: having ceased to be active in practice, membership, or belief
a lapsed Catholic
Examples of lapsed in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The National Book Awards’ 2025 fiction prize went to The True True Story of Raja the Gullible (and His Mother), by Rabih Alameddine, a novel about a lapsed writer living unhappily with his mom in Beirut.
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Emma Alpern, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2025
This summer, McDonald's has leaned into new and limited-time menu items, as a move to attract more customers – returnees, as well as new and lapsed ones.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
So start small: Automate a grant application or reengage lapsed donors.
—Scott Brighton, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Brooks’ father was agnostic, his mother a lapsed Southern Baptist.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
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Emma Alpern, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2025
This summer, McDonald's has leaned into new and limited-time menu items, as a move to attract more customers – returnees, as well as new and lapsed ones.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
So start small: Automate a grant application or reengage lapsed donors.
—Scott Brighton, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025
Brooks’ father was agnostic, his mother a lapsed Southern Baptist.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lapsed
Cite this Entry
“Lapsed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lapsed. Accessed 17 Dec. 2025.
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