What does elapsed mean?
To elapse means to pass or go by, said exclusively of time. 'Elapsed' is its past tense and past participle, so we say that hours, days, or years have elapsed when they have slipped between one moment and another. The word carries a formal, measured tone: you will meet it most often in official reports ('after an elapsed period of thirty minutes'), in timing and sporting contexts ('elapsed time: 2:04:15'), and in careful narrative prose. It is rare in casual conversation, where speakers prefer 'went by' or simply 'passed'. The word derives from the Latin labi, meaning 'to slip or glide', the same root behind 'lapse' — so elapsed time is literally time that has slipped away. That quiet image of time gliding past makes the word a favourite of writers who want precision without drama, and its technical sense survives today in phrases like 'elapsed time' on stopwatches and flight displays.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'elapse')(Of time) to have passed or gone by. Used chiefly of intervals of time slipping away between one event and another.
- (Of time) to have passed, especially between two events or points in time.
"By the time the police arrived, several hours had elapsed since the accident."
"Three days had elapsed before anyone noticed the error."
"The elapsed time between ordering and delivery was just under an hour."
Hidden inside 'elapsed' is the Latin lapsus — 'a slipping' — so every second that elapses is, literally, time slipping away beneath your feet.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of elapsed
'Elapse' comes from Latin labi, 'to slip, glide, or fall', via the past participle stem lapsus, the same root that gives us 'lapse'. It entered English in the mid-17th century, formed with the intensive prefix e- from ex-, and was used from the outset almost solely of time passing. Its cognates include 'collapse' (to slip down together), 'relapse' (to slip back), and medical 'prolapse' (to slip forward).
Related word forms
How elapsed is actually used
'Elapsed' occurs almost exclusively in formal, technical, or narrative contexts — official reports, sports timing, legal documents, and written prose. In everyday speech people usually say 'went by' or 'passed' instead ('three hours went by'). It nearly always appears after 'had', 'have', or similar auxiliary verbs rather than as the simple past in casual speech.
Easily confused with elapsed
'Lapsed' describes something that has expired or fallen into disuse (a lapsed subscription), while 'elapsed' refers only to time that has passed.