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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Dissimilar Words

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
His main goal is to provide support and encouragement, especially during relapses. Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 17 Oct. 2025 In the season 7 premiere, it's revealed that Antonio is back in rehab after a relapse. Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
Verb
Father Joe’s did not have a breakdown of where the remaining 190 or so ended up, although leaders noted that some participants had repeatedly relapsed. Blake Nelson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Sep. 2025 These overlapping challenges frequently reinforce one another, leaving returning prisoners vulnerable to depression, substance abuse, or relapse into crime. Walter Pavlo, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for relapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapse
Noun
  • Is this Rick’s fresh start, or a reversion to his old ways?
    Willing Davidson, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2025
  • While the downtrend is still intact, price is reaching a level where a mean-reversion bounce could set up.
    Nishant Pant, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The most enduring systems — biological, social, or economic — don’t revert.
    Big Think, Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Selling a put under those conditions, with roughly 60 days to expiration, positions the seller to capture elevated option premium while capturing the tendency for prices to revert toward the mean.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The couple face another breakdown when their daughter, Sofia, gets taken into Child Services, which has been quietly monitoring the couple.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Barnes said the case illustrates a breakdown within the broader criminal justice process.
    Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Federal food assistance will also lapse starting that day, disproportionately impacting Miami seniors.
    Claire Heddles, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2025
  • None of them have officially tested warheads since the 1990s, but the relevant treaties have largely lapsed, and Russia is believed to have carried out secret tests.
    Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • For the third year in a row, there is a recession in Germany, and this needs to change.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Mexico’s economy shrank for the first time in years amid tensions with the US, fueling concerns of a recession.
    Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • This recent injury followed a similar setback in 2023.
    Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Occasional setbacks are part of the process—stay consistent and calm, and your dog will learn.
    Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 27 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Following his rescue in the February crash, Waterman was brought to the hospital with severe injuries, including a spinal injury and trauma to his head and face, per the initial affidavit.
    Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Back in 2019, the RMV was under fire for allowing dangerous drivers on the roads in the wake of a fatal biker crash.
    Rick Sobey, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • One is if the Democratic turnout collapse that defined 2024 repeats itself—particularly in Passaic County, where anger over the Biden Administration’s handling of Gaza kept many Muslim voters home.
    Nik Popli, Time, 30 Oct. 2025
  • By the early 2000s, overfishing was rampant, fishing became the most dangerous job in America and our oceans were on the brink of collapse.
    Amanda Leland, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relapse. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.

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