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
Patricia Weiser, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 25 Oct. 2024
The relapse rate for drug abuse is between 40 and 60 percent.
—Patricia Fersch, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024
He was then sent to a residential treatment center, relapsed and was sent back.
—Brian Brant, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for relapse 
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Noun
Long-term methadone therapy has proven highly effective in lowering the risks of relapse and overdose while improving overall well-being.
—Patricia Weiser, Pharmd, Verywell Health, 25 Oct. 2024
The relapse rate for drug abuse is between 40 and 60 percent.
—Patricia Fersch, Forbes, 16 Oct. 2024
Verb
The recovering alcoholic had come dangerously close to relapsing at that same bar on the same night, ordering a drink and staring at it for an hour before leaving without taking a sip.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 28 Oct. 2024
He was then sent to a residential treatment center, relapsed and was sent back.
—Brian Brant, People.com, 27 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for relapse
Dictionary Entries Near relapse
Cite this Entry
“Relapse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/relapse. Accessed 30 Nov. 2024.
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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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