lapse
/læps/ (bre, ipa) · /læps/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈlaps/ (ame, mw)
lapse — 名詞
- lapsesingular
- lapsesplural
1. a small, short-lived error that happens when you forget something or when your a
失誤；疏忽
因遺忘或粗心導致的短暫錯誤
a small, short-lived error that happens when you forget something or when your attention wavers only briefly.
Dr. Okafor apologized for a memory lapse during his lecture on tropical diseases.
Okafor 醫師為他在熱帶疾病課堂上的記憶失誤公開道歉。
collocation: memory lapse
A brief lapse in concentration caused the chef to add salt twice to the soup.
短暫的注意力失誤讓廚師把鹽加到湯裡兩次。
A brief lapse in attention led the nurse to record the wrong dosage.
護理師一時注意力失靈，在病人病歷上記錯了用藥劑量。
Maria's momentary lapse of judgment led her to buy a car she could not afford.
Maria 一時判斷失誤，買了一輛她負擔不起的車。
Using his fingers to eat gravy, the teenager earned a stern look from his grandmother.
那名青少年在餐桌禮儀上的失態——用手指去舀肉汁——在感恩節晚餐上引來祖母嚴厲的目光。
文法句型
a lapse + in/of + noun
用法筆記
Often followed by 'of' (lapse of memory, lapse of judgment) or 'in' (lapse in concentration, lapse in attention). The cause is typically temporary — the person does not habitually make such errors.
常見錯誤
2. the gap between two events, or an interruption during which an activity or situa
間隔；間斷
兩個事件之間的空檔或中斷
the gap between two events, or an interruption during which an activity or situation stops completely for a while.
After a long lapse in their friendship, the two women reconnected at a wedding.
兩人的友誼中斷了很長一段時間後，在一場婚禮上重新聯繫上了。
collocation: lapse in [relationship]
The building stood empty for a lapse of nearly ten years before the renovation.
這棟建築經過十年的間隔後，才開始進行翻修。
There was a brief lapse in the music as the band changed instruments on stage.
樂團在台上更換樂器時，音樂短暫中斷了一下。
During the lapse between semesters, the Watanabe family traveled to Hokkaido.
在學期之間的空檔，渡邊一家去了北海道旅遊。
The doctor told the Lin family to give the antibiotic every eight hours without lapse.
醫師告訴林家人，抗生素必須每八小時服用一次，連續十天不得中斷。
文法句型
a lapse + of + time period
a lapse + in + activity
用法筆記
In this sense 'lapse' emphasizes the gap itself. 'A lapse of X years' is the most common construction. For medical or routine contexts, 'without lapse' means without any interruption.
常見錯誤
3. a temporary failure to behave according to moral, religious, or professional sta
失足；墮落
短暫偏離道德或行為標準
a temporary failure to behave according to moral, religious, or professional standards, especially after a period of good conduct.
The pastor spoke openly about his own moral lapse years ago to help others avoid the same mistake.
牧師坦誠地談起自己多年前的道德失足，希望幫助他人避免同樣的錯誤。
collocation: moral lapse
A single lapse in honesty cost the politician the trust of his supporters.
一次不誠實的失足，讓這位政治人物失去了支持者的信任。
The nun considered her moment of envy a serious spiritual lapse.
那位修女將自己一時的嫉妒視為一次嚴重的靈性墮落。
The journalist took a paid trip from a source she covered—a costly ethics lapse.
那名記者接受了她正在報導的消息來源所提供的免費旅行——這是一次代價高昂的職業倫理失誤。
After years of healthy eating, her lapse into sugary snacks felt discouraging but was not permanent.
健康飲食多年後，她一時失足開始吃甜食，雖然令人沮喪，但並非永久性的。
- fall from grace
stronger and more dramatic; implies a serious loss of respect or favor
- transgression
more formal and religious; emphasizes the act of violating a rule
- slip
less serious; often used for minor ethical mistakes
- virtue
moral excellence or uprightness
文法句型
a lapse + in + moral quality
a moral lapse
用法筆記
Common in religious or moral contexts. Unlike sense 1, the focus is on failing to uphold a standard of behavior rather than making a simple cognitive mistake.
常見錯誤
lapse — 動詞
- lapsepresent simple I / you / we / they
- lapses3rd person singular
- lapsing-ing form
- lapsedpast simple
1. if an agreement, right, membership, or official document lapses, it stops being
失效；終止
因未續約而失去效力
if an agreement, right, membership, or official document lapses, it stops being valid because it was not renewed, extended, or continued in time.
Her passport lapsed last month, so she could not board the international flight.
她的護照上個月就失效了，因此無法登上國際航班。
The insurance policy will lapse if the monthly premium is not paid by Friday.
如果週五前沒有繳交月付保費，這份保單就會失效。
conditional: will lapse if...
His visa lapsed while the renewal application was still being processed by the immigration office.
他的簽證在移民局仍在審理延簽申請時就失效了。
His membership in the gym lapsed while he was recovering from knee surgery.
他因膝蓋手術休養期間，健身房會員資格就失效了。
The contract lapses automatically at midnight unless both parties sign the extension.
除非雙方簽署延長協議，否則合約將在午夜自動終止。
- renew
to extend the validity of something
文法句型
something lapses
lapse + if/when + clause
用法筆記
Frequently used for time-limited rights: insurance policies, subscriptions, memberships, licenses, visas, and contracts. The subject is almost always an inanimate object or formal arrangement.
常見錯誤
2. to fail momentarily at maintaining your usual standard of performance in a task
失靈；疏忽
短暫地注意力或判斷失常
to fail momentarily at maintaining your usual standard of performance in a task because of a brief drop in attention or concentration.
The goalkeeper lapsed for a split second, and the ball rolled past him into the net.
守門員一時失靈，球就滾過他身邊進了網。
collocation: lapse for a split second
The young lawyer lapsed into silence during the meeting when the question caught him off guard.
那位年輕律師在會議上突然陷入沉默，因為那個問題讓他措手不及。
The security guard lapsed in his vigilance and failed to notice the open door.
警衛一時疏忽職守，沒有注意到那扇門是開著的。
Even experienced drivers can lapse in concentration on a long, empty highway.
即使是經驗豐富的駕駛，在漫長空曠的高速公路上也可能注意力失靈。
The waitress lapsed in her usual politeness and snapped at the customer without meaning to.
那位女服務生一時失去了平時的客氣，不由自主地對顧客發了脾氣。
文法句型
lapse + in + noun
lapse + into + noun
用法筆記
Often implies the person normally performs well but momentarily fails. 'Lapse into silence' is a common fixed expression meaning to stop speaking suddenly.
3. to return gradually to a previous, usually worse condition or habit, especially
復發；重陷
回到較差的狀態或舊習慣
to return gradually to a previous, usually worse condition or habit, especially after a period of improvement or good behavior.
After three months without smoking, David lapsed back into the habit during a stressful week at work.
David 戒菸三個月後又破功了——工作壓力很大的一週讓他重新抽起了菸。
pattern: lapse back into [habit]
The patient lapsed into a coma two days after showing promising signs of recovery.
那名病人在出現令人鼓舞的康復跡象兩天後，陷入昏迷狀態。
The country lapsed into civil war soon after the fragile peace treaty was signed.
脆弱的和平條約簽署後不久，該國便再度陷入內戰。
Whenever I visit my hometown, I lapse into the local dialect without thinking about it.
每次回到老家，我都會不自覺地切換成當地方言來交談。
The economy lapsed into a recession after the banking crisis shook global markets.
銀行業危機撼動全球市場後，經濟陷入了衰退。
- recover
to return to a good state from a worse one
文法句型
lapse + into + noun
用法筆記
This sense is almost always followed by 'into' + a noun phrase describing the worse state. Unlike sense 2, the change here is a slide into a different state, not a momentary failure of performance.
4. if time lapses, it passes gradually, often in a quiet or uneventful way.
流逝
時間緩緩過去
if time lapses, it passes gradually, often in a quiet or uneventful way.
The afternoon lapsed pleasantly as the old friends sat on the porch telling childhood stories.
午後時光悠然而逝，老朋友們坐在門廊上聊著童年往事。
subject: time; formal register
Time lapsed slowly during the long bus ride through the desert landscape.
在穿越沙漠景觀的長途巴士上，時間緩慢地流逝。
Several minutes lapsed before anyone spoke after the shocking announcement was made.
在那個震驚的消息公布之後，過了幾分鐘才有人開口說話。
As the hours lapsed, the night-shift nurse finished checking every patient on the ward.
隨著時間一小時一小時過去，大夜班護理師檢查完了病房裡的每一位病人。
The days lapsed one by one until the end of the Watanabe family's summer vacation.
日子一天一天過去，直到渡邊一家暑假結束。
文法句型
time lapses
as the hours/days lapsed
用法筆記
Formal or literary in tone. The more common everyday verb for the same idea is 'pass' or 'go by.' 'Lapse' adds a sense of quiet, gradual movement without notable events.