therapy

American  

[ther-uh-pee] / ˈθɛr ə pi /

noun

therapies plural

1. the treatment of disease or disorders, as by some remedial, rehabilitating, or curative process.

   speech therapy.

2. a curative power or quality.

3. psychotherapy.

4. any act, hobby, task, program, etc., that relieves tension.

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therapy British  

/ ˈθɛrəpɪ /

noun

1. 1. the treatment of physical, mental, or social disorders or disease

   2. ( in combination )

      physiotherapy

      electrotherapy

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therapy Cultural  

1. Treatment intended to cure or alleviate an illness or injury, whether physical or mental.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• self-therapy
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• therapies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of therapy

1840–50; < New Latin therapīa < Greek therapeía healing (akin to therápōn attendant)

Explanation

Therapy is the act of caring for someone, or the method of caring. If you have a rare disease, your doctor's therapy will hopefully cure you. Therapy comes from the Greek θεραπεία, for "healing." If someone tells you she's "in therapy," she's probably talking about a psychological kind of healing. But if she's getting physical therapy, then she's getting help with a bone or muscle problem. If someone suggests an experimental therapy, that's a mode of treatment that's new. Sometimes if something non-medical makes you feel better, we call it a kind of therapy. You might like chocolate therapy, for example.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

therapy therapies

Neill announced in April that after five years of living with cancer he was in remission due to a new cancer therapy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

Other protocols promoted by influencers without medical evidence have included certain supplements, red light therapy, and donating blood to "filter out" microplastics.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Smalman said the way she helps people process these emotions is through art therapy.

From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026

The approach, known as helminth therapy, has shown promise, but its results have been inconsistent.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 10, 2026

This completely fantastic interaction has not left me a lot of hope for the conversation in which I ask her to come to therapy with me.

From "Sparrow" by Sarah Moon

The need for disease slowing therapies is expected to become even greater in the years ahead.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026

The think tank proposes using £1bn of those savings to expand NHS talking therapies, treatment and employment support.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Better models could help scientists produce healthier photoreceptor cells for future cell replacement therapies targeting diseases such as macular degeneration, which currently has no cure.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 9, 2026

Sino Biopharm will be responsible for the import, distribution, hospital access and promotion of the two therapies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

This means pharmaceutical companies, scientists, and universities control what research can be done on those genes, and how much resulting therapies and diagnostic tests will cost.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

Related Words

• analysis
• cure
• healing
• medicine
• remedy