1
: the act or an instance of backsliding, worsening, or subsiding
2
: a recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement
relapsed; relapsing
1
: to slip or fall back into a former worse state
relapser
noun
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
William Earl, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
Encouraging women to quit during pregnancy, however, has been shown to increase risk of relapse and overdose.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 22 Nov. 2023
Matthew Perry, who died Saturday at age 54, was a poster boy for another kind of recovery, the maddening and often helpless slog of chronic relapse.
—Sarah Hepola, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023
Such a tool could help clinicians intervene before a relapse becomes an emergency.
—Christopher Rozell, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023
The band put the Las Vegas residency on hold for a period starting in May 2022 when Tyler entered a treatment program for relapse after undergoing foot surgery to prepare for the band’s return to the stage.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 29 Sep. 2023
Sitting down to discuss the book, Perry is wryly candid about his long periods of sobriety and relapses.
—Julie Jordan, Peoplemag, 29 Oct. 2023
Readers sent us their stories of redemption and relapse, of bottoming out and helping one another to wholeness.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
Extreme heat can also cause temporary relapses in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, Farmer said.
—Noor Adatia, Dallas News, 7 Aug. 2023
Alexander Tin, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2023
Netflix last raised its prices in January 2022 and stopped offering its $9.99 Basic ad-free plan to new and relapsed users in July, forcing them to fork out more to avoid ads.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2023
Darby, who was evicted from her hotel room after relapsing, was in residential treatment to get sober as of early October.
—Angela Hart | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
Despite their desperation to kick their drug habit, St. Clair and Clifford have since relapsed, Patton reported.
—Angela Hart | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
Were a biomarker available at the time, the clinical team would have had warning that the patient was relapsing weeks before standard symptom surveys showed that anything was wrong.
—Christopher Rozell, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023
The band resumed performances in early 2022 but later canceled their summer dates when Tyler checked into rehab after relapsing following foot surgery.
—Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023
In early November, Ryan relapsed and moved out of the facility to live with a friend, according to Lim and her claim.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2023
Kelley Deal, who stopped drinking in 1995, relapsed with opioids but has been clean since 2010.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
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Noun
In stark relief to his previous, more ebullient hours, his latest work examined his 2020 drug relapse and the intervention that led to a successful stint in rehab.
—William Earl, Variety, 27 Nov. 2023
Encouraging women to quit during pregnancy, however, has been shown to increase risk of relapse and overdose.
—Annalisa Merelli, STAT, 22 Nov. 2023
Matthew Perry, who died Saturday at age 54, was a poster boy for another kind of recovery, the maddening and often helpless slog of chronic relapse.
—Sarah Hepola, Rolling Stone, 31 Oct. 2023
Such a tool could help clinicians intervene before a relapse becomes an emergency.
—Christopher Rozell, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023
The band put the Las Vegas residency on hold for a period starting in May 2022 when Tyler entered a treatment program for relapse after undergoing foot surgery to prepare for the band’s return to the stage.
—Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 29 Sep. 2023
Sitting down to discuss the book, Perry is wryly candid about his long periods of sobriety and relapses.
—Julie Jordan, Peoplemag, 29 Oct. 2023
Readers sent us their stories of redemption and relapse, of bottoming out and helping one another to wholeness.
—Laura Newberry, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2023
Extreme heat can also cause temporary relapses in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, Farmer said.
—Noor Adatia, Dallas News, 7 Aug. 2023
Verb
Many patients who initially respond to treatment remain at risk of their leishmaniasis relapsing.
—Alexander Tin, CBS News, 19 Oct. 2023
Netflix last raised its prices in January 2022 and stopped offering its $9.99 Basic ad-free plan to new and relapsed users in July, forcing them to fork out more to avoid ads.
—Emma Roth, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2023
Darby, who was evicted from her hotel room after relapsing, was in residential treatment to get sober as of early October.
—Angela Hart | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
Despite their desperation to kick their drug habit, St. Clair and Clifford have since relapsed, Patton reported.
—Angela Hart | Kff Health News, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2023
Were a biomarker available at the time, the clinical team would have had warning that the patient was relapsing weeks before standard symptom surveys showed that anything was wrong.
—Christopher Rozell, Discover Magazine, 2 Oct. 2023
The band resumed performances in early 2022 but later canceled their summer dates when Tyler checked into rehab after relapsing following foot surgery.
—Emily Krauser, Peoplemag, 12 Sep. 2023
In early November, Ryan relapsed and moved out of the facility to live with a friend, according to Lim and her claim.
—Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Oct. 2023
Kelley Deal, who stopped drinking in 1995, relapsed with opioids but has been clean since 2010.
—Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 15 Sep. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'relapse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, from Medieval Latin relapsus, from Latin relabi to slide back, from re- + labi to slide — more at sleep
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
circa 1534, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of relapse was
in the 15th century
Dictionary Entries Near relapse
Cite this Entry
“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relapse. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
Medical Definition
: 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
M. T. Fosburg et al. relapse
2 of 2 intransitive verb
re·lapse
ri-ˈlaps 
relapsed; relapsing
: 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
More from Merriam-Webster on relapse
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for relapse
Nglish: Translation of relapse for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of relapse for Arabic Speakers
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