noun [抽象名词] 过失，小失误；（一时的）行为失检；（两件事发生的）间隔时间；（活动的）暂停，中断；开始说，开始做；（因未继续缴费而导致的）终止，结束
On Friday he showed neither decency nor dignity. It was an uncommon lapse. 星期五他既不庄重也不体面。这可是他少有的失礼。
verb [vi. 不及物动词] （时间）流逝；（合同、协议等）失效，期满终止；（状态，活动）中止，结束；背弃，放弃（宗教信仰）；开始（以某种方式）说话、行事（lapse into）
She muttered something unintelligible and lapsed into silence. 她咕哝了几句难以理解的话，然后就陷入了沉默。
laps(滑) + e → 滑走 → 流逝
- 网友用 “Lapse” 造句精选
- ...the restoration of diplomatic relations after a lapse of 24 years. …间隔24年后外交关系的恢复。
- I lapsed in my 20s, returned to it, then lapsed again, while writing the life of historical Jesus. 我20来岁就放弃信教，后来又信了。到后来在写历史上的耶稣生平时又放弃了信教。
- She lapsed into a little girl voice to deliver a nursery rhyme. 她用小女孩的声音唱起了一首童谣。
- New products and production processes are transferred to the developing countries only after a substantial amount of time has lapsed. 只有经过很长时间以后，新产品和新生产流程才转移到发展中国家。
- I had a little lapse of concentration in the middle of the race. 我在比赛中走了一下神。
- After a lapse of six months we met up again. 相隔六个月之后我们又相遇了。
- Her lapse into German didn't seem peculiar. After all, it was her native tongue. 她开始说德语并不奇怪，毕竟那是她的母语。
- The terms of the treaty lapsed in 1987. 协定的条款在1987年就终止了。