recurrence

noun

re·​cur·​rence ri-ˈkər-ən(t)s 

-ˈkə-rən(t)s

plural recurrences

: a new occurrence of something that happened or appeared before : a repeated occurrence

Scientists are working to lower the disease's rate of recurrence.

Long-term drug therapy is associated with frequent recurrences and adverse effects, however.

—Melvin M. Scheinman

The hypoallergenic diet is restored until the itching and scratching again disappear, following which potential allergens from the original diet are restored sequentially, one by one, into the dog's meals and the owner looks for indications of the allergy's recurrence.

—Tom Ewing

As a familiar shape its exact meaning may have been lost to some of the craftsmen who used it; however, its recurrence on a whole group of gravestones in Davidson County, North Carolina, suggests an association there with hope, rebirth, and the cycle of life and death.

—Jessie Poesch

The shortage is a result of a decline in Treasury issuance as well as banks' strengthening their balance sheets in preparation for rules designed to prevent a recurrence of the 2008 financial crisis.

—Peter Coy and Liz Capo McCormick

Examples of recurrence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More than 80% of pancreatic cancer patients experience recurrence of the disease after surgery, research shows — and for 40% to 50%, this happens within the first year. —Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 16 Aug. 2025

This presents Murphy with an opportunity in the South, as the astonishing recurrence of Sanders’ mistake continues. —Paul Goldman, Hartford Courant, 7 Aug. 2025

The latter has now exhausted all medical-scientific solutions, facing a recurrence of cancer expected to be terminal. —Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2025

In a study published in March, for example, a blood test detected the recurrence of lung cancer almost five months before signs of the disease appeared in imaging results. —Sara Hashemi, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for recurrence

• concurrence
• deterrence
• incurrence
• occurrence
• transference
• coinsurance
• countertransference

Medical Definition

recurrence

noun

re·​cur·​rence ri-ˈkər-ən(t)s, -ˈkə-rən(t)s 

1

: return of symptoms of a disease after a remission

2

: reappearance of a tumor after previous removal