relapse

American  

[ri-laps, ri-laps, ree-laps] / rɪˈlæps, rɪˈlæps, ˈri læps /

verb (used without object)

• relapses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• relapsed,
  past participle,  past
• relapsing
  present participle

1. to fall or slip back into a former state, practice, etc..

   to relapse into silence.

2. to fall back into illness after convalescence or apparent recovery.

3. to fall back into vice, wrongdoing, or error; backslide.

   to relapse into heresy.

   Synonyms:

   lapse, revert, regress

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noun

• relapses
  plural

1. an act or instance of relapsing.

2. a return of a disease or illness after partial recovery from it.

relapse British  

verb

1. to lapse back into a former state or condition, esp one involving bad habits

2. to become ill again after apparent recovery

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noun

1. the act or an instance of relapsing

2. the return of ill health after an apparent or partial recovery

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• relapser
  noun
• relapsable
  adjective
• unrelapsing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• relapses
  plural

Participles

• relapsing
  present
• relapsed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• relapse
  simple
• relapses
  simple
• have relapsed
  perfect
• has relapsed
  perfect
• am relapsing
  progressive
• are relapsing
  progressive
• is relapsing
  progressive
• have been relapsing
  perfect progressive
• has been relapsing
  perfect progressive

Past

• relapsed
  simple
• had relapsed
  perfect
• was relapsing
  progressive
• were relapsing
  progressive
• had been relapsing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will relapse
  simple
• will have relapsed
  perfect
• will be relapsing
  progressive
• will have been relapsing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of relapse

First recorded in 1400–50; (for the verb) late Middle English, from Latin relāpsus “slid back,” past participle of relābī “to slide back, revert,” from re- re- + lābī “to fall, slide, make a mistake”; noun derivative of the verb

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Explanation

A relapse is a decline, especially of someone's health. If your grandmother survived cancer only to have it return two years later, you could say she suffered a relapse. Relapse implies that someone has recovered from an illness and slid back into a worse state, like when you are getting over a cold but then you suddenly feel bad all over again. Unwanted behavior can also be described this way; if you find yourself biting your nails again, it's a nail-biting relapse. The Latin word relabi is the root of relapse, slip back.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relapse relapses relapsed relapsing

Jordan, who has lived with an eating disorder since he was 12, said the photoshoot was the culmination of a dream he had held onto since a relapse in his teens.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

After a major relapse, and at Bartlett’s urging, she set up an online fundraiser to ease the financial strain of medical treatment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

IBD can behave very differently from one person to another, making it difficult to know who will respond to a particular treatment or who is most likely to relapse.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

The Swiss drugmaker’s results from two late-stage studies point to a greater reduction in annualized relapse rates with its Rhapsido compared to Sanofi’s Aubagio, with no liver safety issues, the analysts say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

"I hope my sister is not overtaxing her strength, so soon after her illness. It would be a great pity if she were to suffer a relapse."

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

The European Commission approved Cenrifki for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis without relapses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

"If a patient relapses and needs another hospital admission, that's costly too," Mons points out.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026

If a patient relapses or breaks a rule in a rehab facility, the knee-jerk impulse should not be to discharge them from the program.

From Slate ● Dec. 19, 2025

She’s not sure how her policy on relapses fits in.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025

But unlike Jeffrey, she had had two relapses of her leukemia in the past four years.

From "Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick

Yemen relapsed into war in July after years of relative calm punctured by sporadic violence and deepening poverty.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

After her condition relapsed before joining OpenAI, Simo decided to work remotely from Southern California.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

Individuals who had relapsed after therapy had significantly narrower cristae than newly diagnosed patients, with the most dramatic differences appearing in those previously treated with venetoclax.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 23, 2025

Her MS hasn’t relapsed in a while, but she has limited sensation in her hands, feet and ankles, and says she sometimes has trouble with her short-term memory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 9, 2025

He braced himself before entering his dad’s room, fearing he might have relapsed, but when he went in, a happy scene awaited him.

From "Gregor the Overlander" by Suzanne Collins

I was initially diagnosed with relapsing remitting MS.

From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026

This approach revealed traces of ancient pathogens, including the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis and the organism responsible for louse-borne relapsing fever, Borrelia recurrentis.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 22, 2026

Almost a decade later, the Times looks to be relapsing into bad form.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2026

Secondary goals in both relapsing multiple sclerosis studies showed statistically significant and clinically meaningful reductions in brain lesions, Roche said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

She remained abed ten years, gradually growing better, but never completely recovering, relapsing periodically into her paralytic state.

From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright

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Related Words

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