relapse 1 of 2

relapse

2 of 2

verb

as in to revert
to return to a usually worse state or condition After a few good months of keeping their rooms clean, the kids relapsed into their old untidy habits.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of relapse
Noun
Alaba is already 33 and, for almost two years now, injuries or relapses have prevented him playing regularly, so his recovery has been viewed with pessimism within the club. Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025 Removing it requires resolve, and resisting relapse is difficult. Autumn Dorsey, Boston Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
Verb
Offering a month-long countdown to relapse forces children to weigh the value of mental health recovery against the lure of account recovery. Autumn Dorsey, Boston Herald, 19 Aug. 2025 Information Center says relapsing polychondritis (RP) can also affect the airways (trachea), rib cartilage, eyes, heart, blood vessels, skin, kidneys, and nervous system. Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for relapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapse
Noun
  • Even a partial reversion to historical valuation multiples implies meaningful upside.
    Sasirekha Subramanian, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • To De Luca and Abdy, making that $90-million picture with a reversion deal was a judgment call based on prior results.
    Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The president has similarly hinted at soon reverting the Department of Defense to the Department of War, the name the Cabinet’s military department bore from 1789 until 1947.
    Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 4 Sep. 2025
  • After issuing its conclusion on Thursday, the DOE gave Denver Public Schools the opportunity to revert the all-gender restrooms back to ones separated by gender or risk further enforcement actions.
    Sonam Sheth Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • At Tomah, the report showed a similar breakdown, with nine shortages among clinical staff and five nonclinical.
    Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Cellphone bill flop prompts finger-pointing Hall seized on the vote breakdown as an example of Democratic lawmakers out of step with Whitmer and out of touch with public support for cellphone restrictions at school.
    Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Thousands of calls also went unanswered after a contract for call center staff lapsed.
    Jade Walker, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
  • The ruling came in response to a filing brought on behalf of defendants in New Jersey, who argued that Habba lacked legal authority to prosecute them after her 120-day interim appointment lapsed in July.
    Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • In fact, Poland long managed to avoid recessions altogether, even throughout the 2008-2009 financial crisis, experiencing a downturn only during the outbreak of COVID-19 some three decades after instituting vast market privatization.
    Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Businesses brought back recession specials earlier this summer, hoping to offset fear of a slowing economy.
    Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 7 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • For the next three years, early intervention programs — including reading, music and speech therapy — helped monitor Ness' children, looking for possible cognitive or learning setbacks.
    Jeff Truesdell, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • For Ruben Amorim, the setback left a lasting impression, with Altay Bayindir selected in the first three Premier League games.
    James McNicholas, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Emergency services deployed 62 rescuers and 22 support vehicles to the crash, according to local media.
    Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Authorities have not yet given an official cause for the crash and police are still investigating at the scene.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Was the specter of Cracker Barrel’s collapse and bankruptcy a mere fancy?
    Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Ultimately, at over 100 kilonewtons of force, the structure groaned under the force before one of the beams finally gave away in an intentional collapse that provided critical data for the study.
    Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relapse. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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