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“Laps” or “Lapse”

laps / lapse are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

laps l·AE·p·s

  • nounthe upper side of the thighs of a seated person.
  • nounan area of control or responsibility.
  • nounthe part of a piece of clothing that covers the thighs.
  • nouna flap that lies over another part.
  • nounmovement once around a course.
  • verblie partly over or alongside of something or of one another.
  • verbmove with or cause to move with a whistling or hissing sound.
  • verbtake up with the tongue.

lapse l·AE·p·s

  • nouna break or intermission in the occurrence of something.
  • verbend, at least for a long time.
  • verbdrop to a lower level, as in one's morals or standards.
  • verblet slip.
Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“laps”

  • …to enter pit road eight laps later; he missed the entrance…
  • …and when Mansell pitted two laps later he was able to…
  • Laps of the circuit passed through…
  • With ten laps to go, Busch's power steering…
  • …he crashed with only five laps remaining.
  • Three laps later, Nadeau lost control of…
  • During the pace laps, Busch moved to the rear…
  • …Robert Nearn) won by seven laps (after 990 laps) in a…
  • Race distance: 83 laps – 125 miles (200 km)
  • …on to lead for 91 laps, more than any other driver.

“lapse”

  • …when it was allowed to lapse.
  • …for Randy Halverson's astronomy time lapse film Plains Milky Way which…
  • …her earlier claims of a lapse in her memory.
  • …and are actually designed to lapse.
  • …of updrafts, and high adiabatic lapse rates promoting thunderstorm development.
  • Time lapse imaging of live zebrafish embryos…
  • …in 1637 and, after a lapse, revived in 1712.
  • Peter spoke of a "shameful lapse" of Haider, saying that this…
  • The bill was allowed to lapse into law.
  • After a long lapse due to pressure of his…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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