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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
Whether craving returns when people stop taking them — and whether that return triggers relapse — is unknown.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
Davis, who has struggled with alcohol addiction, became sober 20 years ago, but relapsed after her ex-husband died from a fentanyl overdose, Valdez said.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for relapse
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Noun
Throughout college, Reid’s medications provided fleeting relief, followed by relapses that left her bedridden at home.
—Jason Liebowitz, New Yorker, 6 Mar. 2026
Whether craving returns when people stop taking them — and whether that return triggers relapse — is unknown.
—Ziyad Al-Aly, STAT, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
Kimberly Ward, 56, has primary progressive multiple sclerosis, which affects her mobility and her partner, Kimberly Perssonatti, 49, has relapsing remitting MS that affects her cognitively regarding recall and comes with visual issues, vertigo and temperature regulation.
—Pamela McLoughlin, Hartford Courant, 10 Mar. 2026
Davis, who has struggled with alcohol addiction, became sober 20 years ago, but relapsed after her ex-husband died from a fentanyl overdose, Valdez said.
—Jessica Seaman, Denver Post, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for relapse
Cite this Entry
“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relapse. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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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
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