relapse
Americanverb (used without object)
noun
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an act or instance of relapsing.
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a return of a disease or illness after partial recovery from it.
verb
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to lapse back into a former state or condition, esp one involving bad habits
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to become ill again after apparent recovery
noun
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the act or an instance of relapsing
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the return of ill health after an apparent or partial recovery
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relapsesimple
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relapsessimple
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have relapsedperfect
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has relapsedperfect
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am relapsingprogressive
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are relapsingprogressive
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is relapsingprogressive
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have been relapsingperfect progressive
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has been relapsingperfect progressive
Past
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relapsedsimple
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had relapsedperfect
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was relapsingprogressive
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were relapsingprogressive
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had been relapsingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing relapse
Spinnin' Around
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Esperanza Rising
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100 SAT words Beginning with "R"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The illness is characterized by discomfort, and while it can be frustrating when symptoms relapse, it’s not life-threatening for most people, according to the CDC.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Whether it is a renaissance or a relapse depends almost entirely on whether Mourinho has learned anything from the last decade.
From BBC ● May 13, 2026
Around 6.7 million people in the U.S. and 160 million worldwide develop the condition in their lifetime, but current therapies for alopecia have high relapse rates, Nektar said.
From Barron's ● Apr. 20, 2026
Gaining a better understanding of how these drugs are stored and distributed inside cells could lead to more personalized treatment strategies, improving effectiveness while reducing resistance and relapse.
From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 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
I wonder if my relapses into depression would happen anyway, or if they are a side effect of menopause.
From Slate ● Jun. 14, 2025
She’s not sure how her policy on relapses fits in.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2025
Sometimes, when I have relapses of my old demon, I lie in the crook of his arm and he comforts me this way, talking to me all night long to stave off the bad dreams.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a biologics license application for anito-cel as a fourth-line treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.
From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 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
To the insurer, it would look like he had relapsed, which he said he had not during that time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 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
Showed improvement as a result of medication, relapsed after second miscarriage.
From "We Were Here" by Matt De La Peña
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
Jebb emphasised that GLP-1 drugs "are a really valuable tool in obesity treatment -- but obesity is a chronic relapsing condition."
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
Given adverse events seen with other trials, expectations for fenebrutinib in relapsing multiple sclerosis were modest, he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2025
"Alive," she echoes, as if she were relapsing to her old quoting days.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
