lapse into

phrasal verb

lapsed into; lapsing into; lapses into

: to begin using or doing (something that should be avoided) for a short period of time

He's a good writer, but he occasionally lapses into jargon.

: to begin to be in (a worse or less active state or condition)

The crowd lapsed into silence.

The patient lapsed into a coma.

The society lapsed into decline.

Examples of lapse into in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

By the end of the six-episode season, this narrative has lapsed into mawkishness, despite strong performances from Gilpin (who’s made a career on blending grit with vulnerability) and Kitsch, a perennially underrated actor who broke out in Berg’s Friday Night Lights. —

Judy Berman, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025 This distinction is what keeps Rawls’s view from lapsing into inhumanity. —

Becca Rothfeld, Harper's Magazine, 2 Mar. 2024 The war in Syria, while not officially ended, had lapsed into a relatively static conflict in recent years. —

Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024 But despite hints of humor and sensuality, this adaptation can sometimes lapse into the reverent formality of a Masterpiece miniseries. —

Judy Berman, TIME, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for lapse into