lapse into
phrasal verb
lapsed into; lapsing into; lapses into
1
: 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.
2
: 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
The jumps back and forth in time prevent the story from lapsing into a maudlin, by-the-numbers recovery story.
—
Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 3 Oct. 2024
Perry had high levels of ketamine in his blood, likely lapsed into unconsciousness and then went underwater, according to the autopsy report.
—Alex Stone, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2024
Long, like any good GOAT, lapsed into familiar modern sport-speak.
—Sean Gregory / Paris, TIME, 7 Aug. 2024
The mujahideen who took over after the… Afghanistan Unbound
Two and a half years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is once more lapsing into bloody chaos.
—Kathy Gannon, Foreign Affairs, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lapse into 
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Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 3 Oct. 2024
Perry had high levels of ketamine in his blood, likely lapsed into unconsciousness and then went underwater, according to the autopsy report.
—Alex Stone, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2024
Long, like any good GOAT, lapsed into familiar modern sport-speak.
—Sean Gregory / Paris, TIME, 7 Aug. 2024
The mujahideen who took over after the… Afghanistan Unbound
Two and a half years after the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan is once more lapsing into bloody chaos.
—Kathy Gannon, Foreign Affairs, 9 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for lapse into
Dictionary Entries Near lapse into
Cite this Entry
“Lapse into.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lapse%20into. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
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