as in to expire
to come to an end
in those coin-operated binoculars at scenic areas your viewing time seems to elapse almost before it has begun
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Recent Examples of elapse
After around a trillion years, total, have elapsed since the hot Big Bang, there won’t really be any galaxies left to view other than Milkdromeda, and the star-formation rate may be effectively zero, save for the rare merger of brown dwarfs that then cross the mass threshold to become stars.
—
Big Think, 13 Mar. 2026
Between that chance meeting and my birth in a Manhattan hospital in 1993, 15 years elapsed.
—Phineas Rueckert, Longreads, 3 Mar. 2026
The expired contract’s holdover language would have elapsed on March 31.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
When that time elapses, items must be removed form the street.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elapse
Big Think, 13 Mar. 2026
Between that chance meeting and my birth in a Manhattan hospital in 1993, 15 years elapsed.
—Phineas Rueckert, Longreads, 3 Mar. 2026
The expired contract’s holdover language would have elapsed on March 31.
—Chase Rogers, Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
When that time elapses, items must be removed form the street.
—Matt Schooley, CBS News, 22 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for elapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for elapse
Verb
-
This contract expires at the end of 2026.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
At the beginning of March, NIPSCO announced several measures that expired March 31, including waived late and reconnect fees, paused service disconnections for nonpayment and reduced reconnect deposits for gas customers, according to Post-Tribune archives.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Such comments did little to stop the speculation, despite his contract at Atletico running to 2030 and containing a €500million (£436m; $577m) release clause.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Lee’s Summit school board election Voters will see seven names on their ballot for three spots on the Lee’s Summit school board, though one candidate, Christopher Thornton, did withdraw from the race after the deadline and stopped actively running.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
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When remediation ends too soon, contamination often rebounds, according to DERM officials.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
9 Apr. 2026
-
In some cases, the frost is severe enough to end the growing season and is then referred to as a 'killing frost'.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In 1903, a vicious winter storm reduced most of the piers to splinters, and by 1906 offshore oil production at Summerland had all but ceased.—
Jeffrey Marlow,
New Yorker,
5 Apr. 2026
-
In July 2025, ENR effectively ceased to exist, with media outlets reporting the remnants of the bureau would be folded into the Bureau of Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs (EEB).—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At the time, Harold's autopsy concluded his death was caused by multiple, serious cardiac issues including pericarditis, an inflammation of the sac around the heart.—
Peter Van Sant,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
With roster movement already underway and a top-25 recruiting class incoming, the season that just concluded serves as a foundation rather than a finished product.—
Aaron Segal,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In February, a Massachusetts federal court order halted the administration from using tax data for immigration enforcement for now.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026
-
This week, construction crews and equipment snaked along a hillside on the southern end of the 420-acre parcel, away from the three sites where the Army Corps had halted work.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The contract lapsed at midnight March 31.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 Apr. 2026
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Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter did not clarify why the case lapsed for more than two decades.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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However, smaller trucking companies do not always have the ability to pass those costs on to customers without risking losing business.—
Brady Halbleib,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
City Council passed an ordinance in 2019 banning new mini-storage facilities and auto service shops on a section of Stockton Boulevard.—
ANNIKA MERRILEES,
Sacbee.com,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Elapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/elapse. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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