How to Use lapse in a Sentence

lapse

1 of 2 noun
  • He blamed the error on a minor mental lapse.
  • That is not done if there's a lapse.
    — Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 27 Apr. 2026
  • Any lapse in training can push the clock back.
    — Amanda Greenwood, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
  • This marks the third funding lapse in just six months.
    — Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 21 Mar. 2026
  • The tax credits are set to lapse at the end of the year.
    — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
  • But the Canes have had their lapses.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 28 May 2026
  • Because of the lapse, it was delayed.
    — Nicole Sganga, CBS News, 27 May 2026
  • The run defense can have lapses.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025
  • At the last moment, Paramount blinked and let the rights lapse.
    — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 12 Dec. 2025
  • There’s no excuse for having a mental lapse like that.
    — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Top lawmakers have been sounding the alarm about the lapse.
    — Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 12 June 2026
  • The mayor did not explain how the lapse happened.
    — Jennifer Borrasso, CBS News, 13 Apr. 2026
  • Read more on the impact of this potential lapse across the country, here.
    — The Npr Network, NPR, 30 Oct. 2025
  • As the funding lapse drags on, many employees aren't showing up to work.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026
  • Against the Jaguars, a few big lapses in the run game and turnovers put the game out of reach early.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Mental lapses on the defensive end led to both goals.
    — Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026
  • This was my first attempt at a time-lapse (thank you, @Astro_Ayers, for many great tips).
    — Anna Commander, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 2025
  • There are many reasons why people let their insurance lapse.
    — Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 2 Jan. 2026
  • White accepted blame for the costly late-game lapses.
    — Zack Cox, Boston Herald, 29 Dec. 2025
  • Alfonsi’s contract with the network was left to lapse.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 28 May 2026
  • Defeat was a tad harsh on Everton, who were made to pay for one crucial lapse.
    — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Congress has now adjourned for the week and is too late to prevent a lapse in food stamp benefits.
    — Zach Halaschak, The Washington Examiner, 31 Oct. 2025
  • This back-and-forth comes as gas and oil prices continue to spike — and with the two-week ceasefire set to lapse this week.
    — Sophia Vento, The Hill, 19 Apr. 2026
  • Both political parties have sought to blame each other for the lapse.
    — Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Muriel took advantage of the lapse and got past Ian Fray for the low finish.
    — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 Aug. 2025
  • Rousseau later issued an apology for the lapse.
    — Allison Lampert, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Rousseau later issued an apology for the lapse.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 1 Apr. 2026
  • Errors, sloppy baserunning and mental lapses -- it's all been tough on the eyes.
    — Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Aug. 2025
  • The dialogue sometimes lapses from bad-funny to just bad.
    — Judy Berman, Time, 21 Jan. 2026
  • And there's a certain time lapse involved in buying fractional shares.
    — Alex Crippen, CNBC, 19 June 2026

lapse

2 of 2 verb
  • He forgot to renew his driver's license, so it lapsed.
  • After a few polite words the conversation lapsed.
  • She allowed the magazine subscription to lapse.
  • She didn't pay the premium and her life insurance policy lapsed.
  • Her interest in politics lapsed while she was in medical school.
  • There was a license which lapsed.
    — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 13 May 2026
  • The programs lapsed five months ago.
    — Noelle Harff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2026
  • Within months, their visas lapsed.
    — Annie Hylton, New Yorker, 14 May 2026
  • This year, for the first time, the approval lapsed for more than a month.
    — Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 19 May 2026
  • This didn't work very well, didn't sell, and the patents were allowed to lapse.
    — New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025
  • This deal is only for new or lapsed subscribers.
    — Chris McMullen, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2026
  • But measures have lapsed in recent months.
    — Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026
  • This contract has likely lapsed.
    — Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 11 Aug. 2025
  • And promises do not lapse simply because the promisee has died.
    — Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2022
  • Food aid benefits lapsed for the first time ever.
    — Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
  • But the adaptation stalled, and the option lapsed.
    — Michael Waters, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
  • The rights to the music were about to lapse, for Paramount, which had the movie at the time.
    — David Remnick, The New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2023
  • Because when they’re allowed to lapse, then production moves out of the state.
    — Keli Goff, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Mar. 2023
  • After the 10-year noncompete lapsed, the brand was off to the races.
    — Rachel Burchfield, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
  • The agency didn’t change the time that should lapse before getting an extra dose of one of those shots.
    — Jared S. Hopkins, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2022
  • An option holder needs their options triggered, lapsed, or bought out.
    — Lien De Pau, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
  • The contract lapsed at midnight March 31.
    — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Not only that, the rights would soon be up for grabs after lapsing at Disney.
    — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2025
  • Although they were betrothed at a young age, five years lapsed before the couple married.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Mar. 2026
  • But borrowers could soon be on the hook again, with the moratorium set to lapse at the end of the month.
    — Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2022
  • Funding lapsed for the department over the weekend.
    — The Hill Staff, The Hill, 19 Feb. 2026
  • The House passed the measure less than 12 hours before funding was set to lapse.
    — Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2022
  • For 15 minutes, mother and daughter spoke as if no time had lapsed between them.
    — Thomas Curwen, Los Angeles Times, 3 Aug. 2023
  • As learning went online, special programs to engage girls lapsed — and schools were slow to restart them.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Sep. 2025
  • That authorization has since lapsed.
    — Andres Viglucci, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lapse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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