lapse into
phrasal verb
lapsed into; lapsing into; lapses into
1
: to begin using or doing (something that should be avoided) for a short period of time
He's a good writer, but he occasionally lapses into jargon.
2
: to begin to be in (a worse or less active state or condition)
The crowd lapsed into silence.
The patient lapsed into a coma.
The society lapsed into decline.
Examples of lapse into in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Oh no, now even the social media guys are lapsing into coachspeak.
—
Sean Gregory, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
There were also quirks unique to AI—such as getting derailed by ASCII art or lapsing into philosophical rambling during long tasks.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
To acknowledge this isn’t to lapse into some postmodern view that the numbers are all fake anyway, and that Trump’s attacks thus don’t matter.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Whether Miami stands pat and rolls dice with a thin cornerback room or makes a late run Douglas will say much about whether the team remains in win-now mode or is conceding and quietly lapsing into a rebuild.
—Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lapse into
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Sean Gregory, Time, 3 Sep. 2025
There were also quirks unique to AI—such as getting derailed by ASCII art or lapsing into philosophical rambling during long tasks.
—Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 12 Aug. 2025
To acknowledge this isn’t to lapse into some postmodern view that the numbers are all fake anyway, and that Trump’s attacks thus don’t matter.
—Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 8 Aug. 2025
Whether Miami stands pat and rolls dice with a thin cornerback room or makes a late run Douglas will say much about whether the team remains in win-now mode or is conceding and quietly lapsing into a rebuild.
—Miami Herald, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for lapse into
Cite this Entry
“Lapse into.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lapse%20into. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share