From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishelapsee‧lapse /ɪˈlæps/ verb [intransitive] formalPASS/TIME PASSING if a particular period of time elapses, it passes Several months elapsed before his case was brought to trial. The assignment must be completed within an overall elapsed time of one week.GRAMMAR: Using the progressiveElapse is not used in the progressive. You say: We hardly notice how much time elapses. ✗Don’t say: We hardly notice how much time is elapsing.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that time passes: We hardly notice how much time passes.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
elapse• This law states that the number of atoms of a radioactive element is halved after a given amount of time has elapsed.• By the time the last picture had been shot, three-quarters of an hour had elapsed.• He is silent until 6 rounds have elapsed.• Nine years elapsed before he produced his eighth symphony.• A surprisingly long time had elapsed between the discovery of the body and the arrival of the police.• They were also asked how much total waiting time elapsed between triage and departure from the emergency room.• Even if six or seven or eight years elapsed, her sleeping passengers would never know the difference.• No dust has settled on that robe; no time has elapsed since that divinity was revealed.• Patients could be retreated if more than 4 weeks had elapsed since the initial treatment.• More than five years have elapsed since the kidnapping.• It seems remarkable that nearly thirty years has elapsed since there was a major museum exhibition in the city.• As soon as the 15 seconds' rest has elapsed, you must start the next exercise.elapsed time• And the chamber seemed darker beyond the elapsed time.• In this situation, the duration time should be reduced to a few minutes greater than the current elapsed time.• The vertical axis to the same scale represents elapsed time and the diagonal is drawn in as shown.• The elapsed time between the order of a part and its delivery had dropped from 90 to 11 minutes.• A pseudo-variable which reads and sets the elapsed time clock.• Features include a flow fault indicator, an elapsed time indicator, automatic shutdown and a battery low indicator.• Thus the total elapsed time is.• I regret that due to the elapsed time it will not be possible to trace the item in question or its value.Origin elapse (1500-1600) Latin elapsus, past participle of elabi “to slip away” 