Backslide
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To regress; to slip backwards or revert to a previous, worse state. To shirk responsibility; to renege on one's obligations or commitments.
Lapse
Part of speech: verb
Definition: To fall away gradually; to subsideTo fall into error or heresyTo become void
Part of speech: noun
Definition: A temporary failure; a slip.A decline or fall in standards.A pause in continuity.An interval of time between events.A termination of a right etc, through disuse or neglect.(weather) A marked decrease in air temperature with increasing altitude because the ground is warmer than the surrounding air. This condition usually occurs when skies are clear and between 1100 and 1600 hours, local time. Strong convection currents exist during lapse conditions. For chemical operations, the state is defined as unstable. This condition is normally considered the most unfavorable for the release of chemical agents. See lapse rate.A common-law rule that if the person to whom property is willed were to die before the testator, then the gift would be ineffective.
Example sentence: I've already composed and written a letter to the House administration telling them to withhold my paycheck in the event of a lapse of appropriations.