therapy
noun
ther·a·py
ˈther-ə-pē 
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
Friedrich K. Port2
: 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
Bruno Bettelheim and Alvin A. RosenfeldExamples 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
After years of therapy, Sigg’s mental health has improved.
—Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Said to offer a level of care not currently available in any other local program, patients would be overseen by doctors and nurses who would oversee withdrawal management and therapy designed to prevent relapses.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
As his teammates wander past the therapy room’s open door to head home to rest following their morning skate, Dravecky is just getting started on his daily routine.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Heat therapy is most beneficial for pain caused by tight or stiff muscles.
—Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for therapy
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Dakin Andone, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Said to offer a level of care not currently available in any other local program, patients would be overseen by doctors and nurses who would oversee withdrawal management and therapy designed to prevent relapses.
—Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Oct. 2025
As his teammates wander past the therapy room’s open door to head home to rest following their morning skate, Dravecky is just getting started on his daily routine.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
Heat therapy is most beneficial for pain caused by tight or stiff muscles.
—Rikkilynn Shields Hannigan, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for therapy
Cite this Entry
“Therapy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/therapy. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
therapy
noun
ther·a·py
ˈther-ə-pē
plural therapies
: treatment of an abnormal state of the mind or body
Medical Definition
therapy
noun
ther·a·py
ˈther-ə-pē
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
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