Break
Break noun - A momentary halt in an activity.
Usage example: there was a brief break after the first movement as the doors to the concert hall were opened and the latecomers were allowed in
Lapse is a synonym for break in duration topic. In some cases you can use "Lapse" instead the word "Break" as a noun or a verb.
Lapse
Lapse noun - The stopping of a process or activity.
Usage example: wasn't bothered by the lapse of her membership at the health club
Break is a synonym for lapse in interval topic. Sometimes you can use "Break" instead the word "Lapse" as a noun or a verb, if it concerns topics such as duration, pause.
How words are described
| long | long break | long lapse |
| brief | brief break | brief lapse |
| short | short break | short lapse |
| complete | complete break | complete lapse |
| Other adjectives: certain, single, severe, serious, huge, little, slight, major, mental, apparent, temporary, slightest, occasional. | ||
Common collocations
Both words in one sentence
- The issue goes to outright terrifying with Pinkie Pie's lapse into depression in "Party of One", Fluttershy's lapse into Yandere at the climax of "The Best Night Ever", and Twilight Sparkle's complete psychotic break in "Lesson Zero".
- Not even digital outlets got any break from the contractual lapse.
- He never bathes, he thinks it's socially acceptable to break into people's houses and steal their stuff and has the nerve to tell Laurie that her mother almost getting raped by the Comedian could have been a moral lapse.
Source: No Social Skills
Cite this Source
Lapse and Break. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/lapse
Break & Lapse. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/lapse>.
Lapse or Break. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/break/lapse.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "break" and "lapse" have occurred on timeline