relapse

noun

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re·lapse | \ ri-ˈlaps

, ˈrē-ˌlaps

Definition of relapse

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the act or an instance of backsliding, worsening, or subsiding

2 : a recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement

relapse

verb

re·lapse | \ ri-ˈlaps

relapsed; relapsing

Definition of relapse (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

1 : to slip or fall back into a former worse state

2 : sink, subside relapse into deep thought

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Examples of relapse in a Sentence

Noun Everyone thought she was well until a sudden relapse sent her back to the hospital. a drug addict who has had a relapse a drug addict who has a history of relapse Verb If you don't continue your treatment, you could relapse. Malaria can relapse years after the original infection. The country soon relapsed into chaos. She stayed out of trouble for a long time, but then she relapsed into her old ways.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Dax Shepard, who has been open about his recent drug relapse, is continuing to reflect on his sobriety journey, looking back on his infamous drunken interview with Conan O'Brien. — Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 18 May 2021 One afternoon early in April, Ball leads a class about preparing for jail release and preventing relapse. — Terry Demio, The Enquirer, 20 May 2021 Avoiding addiction relapse is no small feat, however. — Adnan Asar, Forbes, 13 May 2021 Comfort' star feared an eating disorder 'relapse' in pregnancy. — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2021 Kelly Osbourne sat down with the crew at Daily Blast Live on Monday (May 3) to talk about her pandemic relapse and commiserate with Billie Eilish about the difficulty of growing up in public. — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 4 May 2021 The vicious cycle of treatment, recovery and relapse can be exhausting for those who are dealing with substance abuse. — Tammy Lofink, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, 24 Apr. 2021 Macklemore opened up about his relapse during the COVID-19 pandemic to fellow recovering addict Dax Shepard on his podcast. — Heran Mamo, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2021 Social media abounds with vitriolic comments about Floyd's addiction and relapse. — Maya Rao, Star Tribune, 11 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Paul tells Clark rather than his own sponsor; Clark argues that Paul was just looking for an excuse to relapse. — Sean T. Collins, Vulture, 13 May 2021 Thoughts or feelings that give your patients the urge to relapse should be identified. — Adnan Asar, Forbes, 13 May 2021 There’s no question that many people relapse after an addiction recovery attempt. — David Eddie, STAT, 3 May 2021 The 30-year day player and Vietnam veteran lends the film critical compassion in the film’s most difficult scenes, where Ruben struggles to come to terms with his new reality, threatening the addict to relapse during the trauma. — Ben Flanagan | Bflanagan@al.com, al, 25 Apr. 2021 Collins, who worked for 28 years at Ford's now-shuttered Milan plant, said he's been in and out of the hospital in recent weeks — recovering just enough from COVID-19 to go home, only to relapse, and need to be readmitted. — Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 25 Apr. 2021 Depression and anxiety fueled by isolation may cause some to relapse and increase drug use. — Kevin Bessler, Washington Examiner, 31 Mar. 2021 But a question nags: How does making Lovato’s still-fledgling recovery the centerpiece of her new album’s marketing campaign fix the problem—scrutiny about her health—that allegedly made her relapse? — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 24 Mar. 2021 For someone with an opioid use disorder, emotional burdens can be a trigger to relapse. — Dr. Nicholas Nissen, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'relapse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

4 Jun 2021

Cite this Entry

“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relapse. Accessed 13 Jun. 2021.

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More Definitions for relapse

relapse

noun

English Language Learners Definition of relapse

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the return of an illness after a period of improvement

: a return to bad behavior that you had stopped doing

relapse

verb

English Language Learners Definition of relapse (Entry 2 of 2)

: to become ill again after a period of improvement in health

of an illness : to return or become worse after leaving or improving for a period of time

: to return to a bad condition, form of behavior, etc.

See the full definition for relapse in the English Language Learners Dictionary

relapse

noun

re·lapse | \ ri-ˈlaps

, ˈrē-ˌlaps \

Kids Definition of relapse

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a return of illness after a period of improvement

2 : a return to a former and undesirable state or condition a relapse into bad habits

relapse

verb

re·lapse | \ ri-ˈlaps

relapsed; relapsing

Kids Definition of relapse (Entry 2 of 2)

: to return to a former state or condition (as of illness or bad behavior) after a change for the better

relapse

noun

re·lapse | \ ri-ˈlaps

, ˈrē-ˌ

Medical Definition of relapse

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a recurrence of illness especially : a recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement a relapse after an 18-month remission — M. T. Fosburg et al. — compare recrudescence

relapse

intransitive verb

re·lapse | \ ri-ˈlaps

relapsed; relapsing

Medical Definition of relapse (Entry 2 of 2)

: to slip or fall back into a former worse state (as of illness) after a change for the better the patient relapsed twice in four years