lapsed /læpst/ adjective4 •Discontinued; having ceased or gone out of use.The royal charities on Maunday Thursday, are really a portion of an otherwise lapsed custom, which recalled the action of our Lord on the day before His Crucifixion. — 1895 •Changed to a less valued condition or state; especially having lost one's religious faith....satisfy the Doubtful, confirm the Wavering, recover the Lapsed, and be useful to all according to their several Circumstances and Conditions. — 1726 •(humorous) By extension, having changed a (secular) belief or adherence.My mother knew that I was a lapsed Republican, but did not dream of the depth to which I had fallen. — 1981 •Having passed from the original holder or authority; no longer claimed. formsmore lapsed · most lapsed