elapse

1 of 2

verb

i-ˈlaps 

elapsed; elapsing

intransitive verb

: pass, go by

four years elapsed before he returned

elapse

2 of 2

noun

: passage

returned after an elapse of 15 years

Synonyms of elapse

Verb

• expire
• stop
• end
• cease
• conclude
• halt
• lapse
• pass
• terminate

Examples of elapse in a Sentence

Verb

in those coin-operated binoculars at scenic areas your viewing time seems to elapse almost before it has begun

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

International search-and-rescue brigades began arriving in force only on Friday, roughly a day and a half after the buildings fell, swelling into the thousands across the weekend; by then much of the critical seventy-two-hour window had elapsed. — Luis E. Romero, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026

Several more minutes elapsed before a medic was called in to check Spencer's vital signs, and the inmate was declared dead. — Cbs Miami Team, CBS News, 25 June 2026

Noun

But the argument of the play doesn’t so much build as elapse. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2026

Forty-four seconds elapse between the ball going out of play off Kadioglu and Cristhian Mosquera taking the goal kick. — Stuart James, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Latin elapsus, past participle of elabi, from e- + labi to slip — more at sleep

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1644, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1693, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for elapse

• bitmaps
• bootstraps
• collapse
• mishaps
• perhaps
• prolapse
• relapse
• satraps
• wiretaps
• apps
• caps
• chaps

Kids Definition

elapse

verb

i-ˈlaps

elapsed; elapsing

: to slip or glide away : pass

weeks elapsed before I found time to write