- (v.i.) To slide or turn back into a former state or practice; to fall back from some condition attained; -- generally in a bad sense, as from a state of convalescence or amended condition; as, to relapse into a stupor, into vice or into barbarism; -- sometimes in a good sense; as, to relapse into slumber after being disturbed.
- (v.i.) To slip or slide back, in a literal sense; to turn back.
- (v.) One who has relapsed or fallen back, into error; a backslider; specifically, one who, after recanting error, returns to it again.
- (v.) A sliding or falling back, especially into a former bad state, either of body or morals; backsliding; the state of having fallen back.
- (v.i.) To fall from Christian faith into paganism, heresy or unbelief; to backslide.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
| APA | Webster's. (2011). relapse. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/relapse/definitions/2054171 |
| Chicago | Webster's. 2011. "relapse" http://smartdefine.org/relapse/definitions/2054171 (accessed September 22, 2026). |
| Harvard | Webster's 2011, relapse, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/relapse/definitions/2054171>. |
| MLA | Webster's. "relapse" 27 May 2011. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/relapse/definitions/2054171> |