The term lapsed Catholic describes a person raised as a Catholic who no longer practices the religion. Often, such a person becomes "lapsed" by marrying a Protestant, Jew, or other non-Catholic. Many Catholics become lapsed after leaving their parental home after 'growing up', where they may have gone through the paces of religious services to please a more devout relative, especially a parent. After moving away, they have no inclination to keep going to church. Some Catholics who still attend church services may still think of themselves as "lapsed" if they do not have any real interest in the religion

Though the term "lapsed" may sometimes be affixed to people of other religious backgrounds who have stopped actively practicing (e.g. lapsed Hindus or lapsed Muslims), it is used most commonly in association with Catholicism. One rarely refers to non-practicing Jews as "lapsed", as Judaism can also be viewed as ethnic in nature and does not necessarily require active worship or belief (See:Who is a Jew?). By the same token, one rarely hears of lapsed Protestants; this may be because Protestantism is decentralized and less ritual-driven, making it difficult to tell when an adherent has "lapsed".