1.a mistake resulting from inattention
2.a break or intermission in the occurrence of something;
a lapse of three weeks between letters
3.a failure to maintain a higher state
1.pass into a specified state or condition;
He sank into Nirvana
2.end, at least for a long time;
The correspondence lapsed
3.drop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards
4.go back to bad behavior;
Those who recidivate are often minor criminals
5.let slip;
He lapsed his membership
6.pass by;
three years elapsed