Definition of relapse
1 : the act or an instance of backsliding, worsening, or subsiding
2 : a recurrence of symptoms of a disease after a period of improvement
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Examples of relapse in a Sentence
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
Recent Examples of relapse from the Web
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Also, it has been shown to reduce the risk of relapse compared to traditional treatment programs without medication.
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Some studies have also found those qualities also affect the likelihood of relapse after abstaining from an addiction.
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The other five all had relapses, but one became cancer free after an ant-PD-1 immunotherapy.
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The young man's relapse came after a year of sobriety, a steady job delivering pizzas at Papa John's and an engagement to his high school sweetheart.
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Tillman, the 16-game winner who was supposed to be leading this parade, came up with a sore shoulder late last season and suffered a relapse in December that kept him out of the rotation until May 7.
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Both have had off-court issues, between Lawson’s numerous relapses with alcohol and Collison pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic battery, resulting in an eight-game suspension last season.
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A lot of the times what happens when people take the radiation, the radiation weakens the body so much that your immune [system] is so low that the cancer relapses anyway because of your body not being able to strengthen up itself on its own.
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Lundstedt got her license back in December 2015 while under a five-year monitoring agreement, but two relapses later, was under evaluation by an addiction medicine specialist.
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.
Origin and Etymology of relapse
Middle English, from Medieval Latin relapsus, from Latin relabi to slide back, from re- + labi to slide — more at sleep
Definition of relapse
relapsed
;relapsing
relapser
nounExamples of relapse in a Sentence
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 of relapse from the Web
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With drug addiction, which can be a hidden issue and can involve treatment, recovery and relapse, the decision to take a parent's children away can be difficult and take a very long time.
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The girls, who also have a 4-year-old sister, received chemotherapy at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and while Kenedi has been in remission for 21 months, Kendal’s relapsed after 17 months.
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Tim turned to heroin many times, and also quit many times, but always relapsed.
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One in four women taking Herceptin eventually developed a recurrence in an older test, so reducing the risk of relapsing is critical, said Daniel O’Day, head of Roche’s head of pharmaceuticals.
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By the end of college, Adam was trying to manage his gaming but still fell into a pattern of bingeing, abstinence and relapse.
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Serfer made the classic mistake of moving in with a fellow recovering addict and relapsed four months later.
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One of those successes arose in San Diego, a drug from the biotech company Receptos for relapsing multiple sclerosis.
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Practically, though, that has been very difficult to achieve with relapsing addictions.
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.
First Known Use of relapse
circa 1534
RELAPSE Defined for English Language Learners
relapse
playDefinition of relapse for English Language Learners
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: the return of an illness after a period of improvement
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: a return to bad behavior that you had stopped doing
relapse
playDefinition of relapse for English Language Learners
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: to become ill again after a period of improvement in health
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of an illness : to return or become worse after leaving or improving for a period of time
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: to return to a bad condition, form of behavior, etc.
RELAPSE Defined for Kids
Definition of relapse for Students
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
Definition of relapse for Students
relapsed
;relapsing
: to return to a former state or condition (as of illness or bad behavior) after a change for the better
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of relapse
: 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
Medical Definition of relapse
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
Learn More about relapse
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See words that rhyme with relapse Spanish Central: Translation of relapse Nglish: Translation of relapse for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of relapse for Arabic speakers
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