Despite the occasional lapse, this was a fine performance by the young saxophonist.lapse1 nounlapse2 verb
lapselapse1 /læps/ noun [countable] 
WORD ORIGINlapse1
Origin:
1300-1400 Latin lapsus, from labi ‘to slip’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- He didn't offer Darren a drink, and Marie did not appear to notice the lapse.
- But the life of a first generation feminist can be plagued by disconcerting lapses.
- He and Dean had just been laid off during a seniority lapse because of a drastic reduction of crews.
- He had not died or fallen ill, nor had Smallfry been made aware of his lapses.
- He kicked and usually punched, but his size and strength produced blows that jarred the body and caused lapses in consciousness.
- His claim that he had been constructively dismissed failed because of the lapse of time after 6 February 1981 before he took action.
- None of what has been said suggests that we should ignore ethical lapses or law-breaking by public figures.
- The clock was restored to its original condition in full working order in 1956, after a lapse of seventy-two years.
- There were a few lapses, but there was effort.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Despite the occasional lapse, this was a fine performance by the young saxophonist. A single lapse of concentration cost Sampras the game. After taking the drug, several patients suffered memory lapses (=when you cannot remember something for a short time). The usual time lapse between request and delivery is two days.COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
1a short period of time during which you fail to do something well or properly, often caused by not being carefulmomentary/temporary/occasional etc lapse Despite the occasional lapse, this was a fine performance by the young saxophonist. A single lapse of concentration cost Sampras the game. After taking the drug, several patients suffered memory lapses (=when you cannot remember something for a short time). The usual time lapse between request and delivery is two days. (=go into one)· Brett slipped into a coma from which he never awakened.
(=a short time when you do not concentrate)· That brief lapse of concentration resulted in a goal for the other team.
(=it comes to an end)· We will send you a letter when your membership is about to expire.
(=when you cannot remember something for a short time)· The alcohol seemed to make him suffer lapses of memory.
(=to stop talking and be quiet)· 'I don't want any,' he said, and lapsed into silence again.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE· Those who are not must forgive me my momentary lapse into modest mathematical sophistication.· She turned and looked about her, suddenly angered by the mess she had made - by her momentary lapse of control.· More interesting was the momentary lapse of patience by Coach Dave Wannstedt in defending the moves.
· The diagrams that accompany the text are usually excellent with only the occasional lapse.· Some people think Sawyer would make a lousy anchor because of her occasional lapses into tabloid tawdriness.· There are very occasional technical lapses but nothing distressing.
· When she had been little, temporary lapses and been easily passed over.
NOUN· Towards the end Miss Servadei suffered several stumbles and a memory lapse, which unsettled this listener.· Flubbed high notes or an obvious memory lapse during an important opening-night performance can erode a reputation.· In any event, memory lapses are likely to present major reliability problems.· The symptoms included memory lapses, depression, insomnia, daytime fatigue, slurred speech, confusion and migraine like headaches.
· I have long been concerned about the time lapse from the commissioning of a book to its appearance in the shops.· This involves noting when the specified behaviour starts, noting again when it ends and recording the time lapse.· In terms of this initial time lapse, two distinct groups can be identified.· The conditions which will influence these decisions include the site, time lapse before treatment, contamination and state of the circulation.· The other five deploy flashbacks and almost constant time lapses.· There may be a time lapse between teaching and practical experience, so that recall may be impaired.
Despite the occasional lapse, this was a fine performance by the young saxophonist. A defensive lapse by Keown allowed Tottenham to score.lapse in lapses in securitylapse of A single lapse of concentration cost Sampras the game. a lapse of judgement After taking the drug, several patients suffered memory lapses (=when you cannot remember something for a short time).2a failure to do something you should do, especially to behave correctly: He forgot to offer Darren a drink, but Marie did not appear to notice the lapse.3[usually singular] a period of time between two events: The usual time lapse between request and delivery is two days.lapse of a lapse of about ten secondslapse1 nounlapse2 verb
lapselapse2 verb [intransitive] 1to gradually come to an end or to stop for a period of time: The conversation lapsed.2 especially British English if a contract, agreement etc lapses, it comes to an end, usually because an agreed time limit has passed: Your booking will automatically lapse unless you confirm it.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say that a contract or agreement runs out rather than lapses:· His club membership had run out.3to stop believing in or following a religion: those people who have lapsed from the practice of their religion4formal if a period of time lapses, it passes: Many years had lapsed since her first visit to Wexford.lapse into something phrasal verb1lapse into unconsciousness/silence/sleep etc to go into a quiet or less active state: He lapsed into a coma and died two days later. Alison lapsed into puzzled silence.2to begin to behave or speak in a way that you did before: She lapsed back into her old ways. Occasionally he lapsed into his native German.3to get into a worse state or become worse: Following his death, the Empire lapsed into chaos. His poetry often lapses into sentimentality.