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

---

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

---

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

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

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

"When diagnosed, it is often aggressive, presenting with late-stage disease and associated with high rates of disease relapse and mortality."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026

Novartis said its drug reduced the annualized relapse rate and inflammatory brain lesions relative to the rival medicine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

Since ’93 my mom hasn’t had a mental relapse and my sister, Janell, has calmed down.

From "Our America: Life and Death on the South Side of Chicago" by LeAlan Jones

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Although antibiotics are commonly used to treat the infection, many patients experience relapses after treatment.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026

Borg admits to several relapses during the 1990s when he also made an abbreviated tennis comeback.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2025

I wonder if my relapses into depression would happen anyway, or if they are a side effect of menopause.

From Slate ● Jun. 14, 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

Maya, 13, from Hythe in Kent, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at three years old, but relapsed in 2023 having been in remission for five years.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Ward said if Rios relapsed she likely felt deep shame about it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 3, 2026

Future studies will use animal models and larger patient groups to better understand how drug delivery, tumor structure, and lysosomal storage interact in clinical settings, including in relapsed cancers.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2026

The effort succeeded; for an instant he unconsciously relapsed into his old servile manner, bent low before me, and actually fawned upon me as he replied:—

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

The results for Novartis’s Rhapsido reduce risk on a sales opportunity of at least $2 billion to $3 billion in relapsing multiple sclerosis alone, according to JPM.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026

This allowed them to identify traces of several pathogens, including Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague, and Borrelia recurrentis, which causes louse borne relapsing fever.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026

But now, almost a decade later, the Times looks to be relapsing into bad form.

From Salon ● Apr. 6, 2026

The New South Wales coroner said Dr Andrea Boros-Lavack had provided 40-year-old Cauchi "exemplary" care over a long period, but failed to heed warnings from family that he may be relapsing, years before the attack.

From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026

"Alive," she echoes, as if she were relapsing to her old quoting days.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

• recidivism
• recurrence
• regression
• worsening