elapse
Definitions
(Of time) to pass by, especially a stretch of time slipping away.
（时间）流逝，过去（尤指一段时间悄悄滑走）。
Root Breakdown
Root-derivede- (out, away) + lapse (slip) = to slip away. Used almost only for time: hours, days, and years elapse. It is intransitive — time elapses on its own; you can't elapse something.
Root laps still carries 3 more wordsUsage Guide
elapse is intransitive and a bit formal — it always describes time passing on its own ("two hours elapsed"), never people or actions. You cannot say "I elapsed the time." Everyday speech often prefers "pass" ("two hours passed"); elapse appears more in writing, instructions, and technical contexts ("once 30 seconds have elapsed").
Example Sentences
- 1.
Several minutes elapsed before anyone spoke.
- 2.
Two years had elapsed since their last meeting.
- 3.
The timer starts once 30 seconds have elapsed.
Easily Confused
elapse vs lapse — Both share the root, but elapse is only about time passing (two hours elapsed). lapse is a slip-up or a policy expiring (a lapse of memory; the policy lapsed). If you mean 'time went by,' use elapse; if you mean a mistake, use lapse.