Meaning & use
elapse
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Meaning
verbintransitiveformal
Of a period of time, to pass or go by.
Grammar: No object: time elapses. It is usually the time itself that is the subject, not a person.
Patterns
- time elapses
- a period elapses
- years elapse
- months elapse
Three years elapsed before they met again.
Several hours elapsed while we waited for news.
A long time had elapsed since the last inspection.
Word forms
| third person singular | elapses |
|---|---|
| past tense | elapsed |
| past participle | elapsed |
| -ing form | elapsing |
Common combinations
- time elapses
- As time elapses, memories of the event fade.
- a period elapses
- A short period elapsed before the machine restarted.
- considerable time had elapsed
- Considerable time had elapsed since the original complaint.
- elapsed time
- The timer records the elapsed time in seconds.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pass
- Much more common and less formal; 'pass' works in everyday speech, while 'elapse' suits reports and formal writing.
- go by
- Informal and natural in speech: 'as the years went by'. Use 'elapse' in written, neutral or formal contexts.
- lapse
- Looks similar but means to come to an end or expire, as in 'the membership lapsed'; it does not mean time passing.
Word family
- elapsed adjective
- Used before a noun, as in 'elapsed time', meaning time that has already passed.
- elapse noun
- Rare; the noun is usually 'lapse' or 'passage' instead.
Commonly confused: elapse or lapse? elapse or collapse?
elapse vs lapse
'Lapse' means to end or expire, or a small mistake, as in 'a lapse in concentration'. 'Elapse' is only about time passing.
elapse vs collapse
'Collapse' means to fall down or fail suddenly. It sounds similar but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'elapse' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Elapse' is intransitive and its subject is a period of time, so 'Two weeks elapsed' is correct. The other options give it an object or a human subject, which is impossible.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “elapse”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.