therapy

noun

ther·​a·​py ˈther-ə-pē How to pronounce therapy (audio)
plural therapies
1
: therapeutic medical treatment of impairment, injury, disease, or disorder
The number of new patients treated for end-stage renal disease … with dialysis or renal transplantation has continued to rise exponentially with an 8.4% annualized growth rate reaching more than 160,000 patients undergoing therapy in the United States in 1989.Friedrich K. Port
see also art therapy, chelation therapy, chemotherapy, gene therapy, hormone therapy, music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, shock therapy, speech therapy
2
: psychotherapy
Furthermore, the psychotherapist knows that all actions in therapy are messages that need be decoded and understood regardless of the 'language' the patient uses.Bruno Bettelheim and Alvin A. Rosenfeld

Examples of therapy in a Sentence

He is undergoing cancer therapy. talking over my problem with you has been good therapy
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But as the market shifts toward personalized therapies, globalized supply chains and accelerated product cycles, the legacy playbook is showing its limits. Rahul Saluja, Forbes.com, 6 June 2025 Adult facilities also lack the educational and therapy programs that are available in facilities run by the Department of Juvenile Services, Virgin said. Rachel Baye, NPR, 5 June 2025 The boundary stems from the fact that his wife was kicked out of her mother's home as a child and placed in foster care, ultimately going to therapy to work through her family issues. Virginia Chamlee, People.com, 5 June 2025 But Ro can’t bring herself to fully commit to the therapy. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 5 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for therapy

Word History

Etymology

New Latin therapia, from Greek therapeia, from therapeuein

First Known Use

1838, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of therapy was in 1838

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/therapy. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

therapy

noun
ther·​a·​py ˈther-ə-pē How to pronounce therapy (audio)
plural therapies
: treatment of an abnormal state of the mind or body

Medical Definition

therapy

noun
ther·​a·​py ˈther-ə-pē How to pronounce therapy (audio)
plural therapies
: therapeutic treatment: as
a
: remedial treatment of mental or bodily disorder
b
: an agency (as treatment) designed or serving to bring about rehabilitation or social adjustment see occupational therapy, recreational therapy

More from Merriam-Webster on therapy

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