relapse 1 of 2

Definition of relapsenext

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
These moms told open, honest and raw stories of abuse, trauma, substance use, recovery, relapse and motherhood. Karli Swenson, The Conversation, 11 June 2026 The jail has also implemented a Vivitrol program that helps inmates struggling with alcohol dependence and can help prevent relapse for those with opioid dependence after detoxing, Martinez said. Alexandra Kukulka, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
Verb
After finding out about the affair, her mother, a recovering alcoholic, relapsed and had to be hospitalized. Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 1 June 2026 In Sunday night’s finale, Zendaya‘s Rue Bennett dies of a fentanyl overdose after relapsing on laced Percocet given to her by Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje). Katie Campione, Deadline, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for relapse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relapse
Noun
  • The tradwife trend is controversial in that it is seen by some as a rejection of feminism and a reversion to a seemingly simpler time.
    Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 June 2026
  • No photos have been revealed yet for next year’s release, but the reversion to the name Super Freak suggests the original details should return as well.
    Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 9 June 2026
Verb
  • The effect hasn’t mean-reverted.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 June 2026
  • These returns do not revert in subsequent trading days and are orders of magnitude larger than those outside the 24-hour pre-FOMC window.
    George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • Janet, meanwhile, is having the kind of emotional breakdown that necessitates producer intervention.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 2 July 2026
  • To help identify which aspects to comment on, Ginexi provides a helpful breakdown of the different sections of the OMB’s proposal.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Is gas still moving through the Tabriz-Ankara corridor at material volumes in mid-July, after the contract lapses?
    Güney Yıldız, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • Since his status lapsed, Ortega started a GoFundMe in case his renewal doesn’t come in time for the new semester.
    Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 26 June 2026
Noun
  • America’s centennial in 1876 was celebrated with a grand exhibition that projected an image of national unity and inventiveness in the anxious aftermath of civil war and recession.
    The New York Review of Books, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • The Foundation attributes the stagnation in Millennial incomes directly to the timing of recession entry.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 3 July 2026
Noun
  • The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday delivered a major setback to ballot measures aimed at handing Democrats as many of seven of Colorado's eight Congressional seats.
    Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 30 June 2026
  • The rulings marked another setback for Democrats in a nationwide redistricting battle that could affect control of Congress.
    ABC News, ABC News, 29 June 2026
Noun
  • The military declared McKinney dead in March 1946, though no crash site had been identified, let alone any remains of the man from Providence, Rhode Island.
    Kocha Olarn, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
  • The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said it was not notified of the crash, according to local reports.
    Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
Noun
  • Vibrations from earth-moving equipment could have triggered further collapses, possibly dooming Gil — and his would-be rescuers.
    Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Historians have devoted enormous attention to the collapse of the royal courts, the creation of state judiciaries, the drafting of new constitutions, and the construction of the legal institutions of the new republic.
    Joseph Andrew, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relapse. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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