The Only Use

lapse
in
The Lottery, by Jackson
(Edited)

…at one time, some people remembered, there had been a recital of some sort, performed by the official of the lottery, a perfunctory, tuneless chant that had been rattled off duly each year; ... but years and years ago this part of the ritual had been allowed to lapse.
p. 8.2

lapse = end

Definitions:

(1) (lapse as in: a lapse in judgement)
a change in behavior or state--usually undesired such as a temporary failure
The exact meaning of this sense of lapse is often subject to its context:
- example indicating an undesired change in behavior -- "lapsed into alcoholism"
- example indicating that the change was short-term and due to a failure (often of effort or diligence) -- "a lapse in judgment"
- example indicating return to a previous undesired behavior or state -- "lapsed into her old bad habits"
- examples indicating a change in what was occurring where the change is not necessarily negative -- "There was a lapse in the conversation," or "She stopped talking as she lapsed into her own internal world."
(2) (lapse as in: allowed the policy to lapse)
end or terminate -- often of legal rights or of a person's association with an organization
(3) (lapse as in: after the lapse of many hours)
a period of time -- often a period that has passed
(4) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)