lapse
/læps/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.49 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
1
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A pause in continuity.
noun
An interval of time between events.
noun
A termination of a right etc., through disuse or neglect.
noun
A marked decrease in air temperature with increasing altitude because the ground is warmer than the surrounding air.
noun
A common-law rule that if the person to whom property is willed were to die before the testator, then the gift would be ineffective.
Example Sentences
- "memory lapse"
- "It was a regrettable lapse by a person of otherwise exemplary character."
- "lapse of judgment"
- "lapse in security"
- "lapse in concentration"
- "Now, tho’ this Scripture may be usefully understood and apply’d by us as a Caution to guard against those Lapses and Failings to which our Infirmities daily expose us"
Etymology
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /læps/
- British English: /læps/