an accidental or temporary decline or deviation from an expected or accepted condition or state; a temporary falling or slipping from a previous standard

a lapse of justice.

a slip or error, often of a trivial sort; failure

a lapse of memory.

an interval or passage of time; elapsed period

a lapse of ten minutes before the program resumed.

a moral fall, as from rectitude or virtue.

a fall or decline to a lower grade, condition, or degree; descent; regression

a lapse into savagery.

the act of falling, slipping, sliding, etc., slowly or by degrees.

a falling into disuse.

Insurance . discontinuance of coverage resulting from nonpayment of a premium; termination of a policy.

Law . the termination of a right or privilege through neglect to exercise it or through failure of some contingency.

Meteorology . lapse rate.

Archaic . a gentle, downward flow, as of water.

to fall or deviate from a previous standard; fail to maintain a normative level

Toward the end of the book the author lapsed into bad prose.

to come to an end; stop

We let our subscription to that magazine lapse.

to fall, slip, or sink; subside

to lapse into silence.

to fall into disuse

The custom lapsed after a period of time.

to deviate or abandon principles, beliefs, etc.

to lapse into heresy.

to fall spiritually, as an apostate

to lapse from grace.

to pass away, as time; elapse.

Law . to become void, as a legacy to someone who dies before the testator.

to cease being in force; terminate

Your insurance policy will lapse after 30 days.

noun

achievement , perfection , success , continuity , progress

verb

continue , go on , restart

noun

blunder , breach , bungle , crime , error , failing , failure , fault , flub , foible , frailty , gaff , goof , goof-up , indiscretion , miscue , negligence , offense , omission , oversight , screw-up , sin , slip , slip-up , transgression , trespass , trip * , vice , violation , gap , intermission , interruption , interval , lacuna , lull , passage , pause , decadence , declension , decline , degeneration , descent , deterioration , devolution , drop , fall , recession , regression , relapse , retrogradation , retrogression , erratum , inaccuracy , incorrectness , misstep , mistake , trip , backslide , backsliding , recidivation , recidivism , aberration , apostasy , brainstorm , declination , parapraxis

verb

apostatize , backslide , become obsolete , cease , decline , degenerate , descend , deteriorate , die , elapse , end , expire , go by , pass , recede , recidivate , relapse , retrograde , return , revert , run out , slide , slip , subside , terminate , weaken , regress , retrogress , abate , bate , ease , ebb , fall , fall off , let up , moderate , remit , slacken , slack off , wane , glissade , slither , blooper , blunder , boner , break , disregard , err , error , failure , fault , gap , goof , infraction , lull , mistake , oversight , regression , sink