recurrence

noun

re·​cur·​rence ri-ˈkər-ən(t)s 

-ˈkə-rən(t)s

plural recurrences

: a new occurrence of something that happened or appeared before : a repeated occurrence

Scientists are working to lower the disease's rate of recurrence.

Long-term drug therapy is associated with frequent recurrences and adverse effects, however.

—Melvin M. Scheinman

The hypoallergenic diet is restored until the itching and scratching again disappear, following which potential allergens from the original diet are restored sequentially, one by one, into the dog's meals and the owner looks for indications of the allergy's recurrence.

—Tom Ewing

As a familiar shape its exact meaning may have been lost to some of the craftsmen who used it; however, its recurrence on a whole group of gravestones in Davidson County, North Carolina, suggests an association there with hope, rebirth, and the cycle of life and death.

—Jessie Poesch

The shortage is a result of a decline in Treasury issuance as well as banks' strengthening their balance sheets in preparation for rules designed to prevent a recurrence of the 2008 financial crisis.

—Peter Coy and Liz Capo McCormick

Examples of recurrence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Toxoplasmosis can’t be cured, only controlled, and recurrence rates for ocular infection are between 40% to 79%. —Katie Gutierrez, TIME, 19 Sep. 2024

Keeping the area clean, dry, and wearing loose clothing can help prevent recurrence. —Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024

According to research, rates of ventral hernia recurrence are high following surgery. —Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 24 Oct. 2024

For patients with opioid addiction in particular, outpatient treatment with methadone or buprenorphine significantly reduces overdose rates and recurrence of opioid use when compared to no treatment or treatment that did not offer medications for opioid addiction. —Zoe Adams, Scientific American, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

recurrence

noun

re·​cur·​rence ri-ˈkər-ən(t)s, -ˈkə-rən(t)s 

1

: return of symptoms of a disease after a remission

2

: reappearance of a tumor after previous removal