1. 闪失；过失；失检
    A lapse is a moment or instance of bad behaviour by someone who usually behaves well.

lapse是什么意思

    e.g. On Friday he showed neither decency nor dignity. It was an uncommon lapse.
           星期五那天他的表现既不得体，又有失尊严。如此失态非常少有。

2. （一时的）疏忽，大意，开小差
    A lapse of something such as concentration or judgment is a temporary lack of that thing, which can often cause you to make a mistake.

    e.g. I had a little lapse of concentration in the middle of the race...
           我在比赛中途一时走神。
    e.g. He was a genius and because of it you could accept lapses of taste...
           由于他是天才，所以品位上偶有差池大家也不会介意。

3. 陷入，进入（某种安静或静止状态）
    If you lapse into a quiet or inactive state, you stop talking or being active.

    e.g. She muttered something unintelligible and lapsed into silence...
           她不知嘟囔了几句什么后就不再开口。
    e.g. Doris Brown closed her eyes and lapsed into sleep.
           多丽丝·布朗闭上眼睛，安然入睡。

4. （通常指短暂地）进入，陷入（某种说话或行事方式）
    If someone lapses into a particular way of speaking, or behaving, they start speaking or behaving in that way, usually for a short period.

    e.g. She lapsed into a little girl voice to deliver a nursery rhyme...
           她改用童声唱起童谣来。
    e.g. Teenagers occasionally find it all too much to cope with and lapse into bad behaviour.
           青少年偶尔会因感到压力太大无所适从而做出不良行为。

5. （时间的）间隔
    A lapse of time is a period that is long enough for a situation to change or for people to have a different opinion about it.

    e.g. ...the restoration of diplomatic relations after a lapse of 24 years...
           时隔24年后外交关系的恢复
    e.g. There is usually a time lapse between receipt of new information and its publication.
           新信息的接收与发布之间通常会间隔一段时间。

6. （时间）流逝，消逝，推移
    If a period of time lapses, it passes.

lapse的翻译

    e.g. New products and production processes are transferred to the developing countries only after a substantial amount of time has lapsed.
           新的产品和生产工序要经过一段相当长的时间后才能向发展中国家转移。

7. 结束；终止
    If a situation or legal contract lapses, it is allowed to end rather than being continued, renewed, or extended.

    e.g. Her membership of the Labour Party has lapsed...
           她已不再是工党党员。
    e.g. Ford allowed the name and trademark to lapse during the Eighties.
           福特在20世纪80年代废止了该名称和商标。

8. 停止信教；背弃信仰；脱离宗教关系
    If a member of a particular religion lapses, they stop believing in it or stop following its rules and practices.

    e.g. I lapsed in my 20s, returned to it, then lapsed again, while writing the life of historical Jesus...
           我20多岁时曾经停止信教，后来一度又信，再后来撰写历史上耶稣的生平故事时又再脱教。
    e.g. She calls herself a lapsed Catholic.
           她称自己已不再信仰天主教。