relation

American  

[ri-ley-shuhn] / rɪˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

relations plural

1. an existing connection; a significant association between or among things.

   the relation between cause and effect.

   Synonyms:

   link, tie, relationship

   Antonyms:

   independence

2. relations,

   1. the various connections between peoples, countries, etc..

      foreign relations.

   2. the various connections in which persons are brought together.

      business and social relations.

   3. sexual intercourse.

3. the mode or kind of connection between one person and another, between an individual and God, etc.

4. connection between persons by blood or marriage.

   Synonyms:

   kinship, relationship

5. a person who is related by blood or marriage; relative.

   his wife's relations.

6. the act of relating, narrating, or telling; narration.

   Synonyms:

   description, recital, recitation

7. Law. a principle whereby effect is given to an act done at one time as if it had been done at a previous time.

8. Mathematics.

   1. a property that associates two quantities in a definite order, as equality or inequality.

   2. a single- or multiple-valued function.

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idioms

1. in / with relation to, with reference to; concerning.

   It's best to plan with relation to anticipated changes in one's earnings.

relation British  

/ rɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the state or condition of being related or the manner in which things are related

2. connection by blood or marriage; kinship

3. a person who is connected by blood or marriage; relative; kinsman

4. reference or regard (esp in the phrase in or with relation to )

5. the position, association, connection, or status of one person or thing with regard to another or others

6. the act of relating or narrating

7. an account or narrative

8. law the principle by which an act done at one time is regarded in law as having been done antecedently

9. law the statement of grounds of complaint made by a relator

10. logic maths

    1. an association between ordered pairs of objects, numbers, etc, such as … is greater than …

    2. the set of ordered pairs whose members have such an association

11. philosophy

    1. a relation that necessarily holds between its relata, as 4 is greater than 2

    2. a relation that does not so hold

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relation More Idioms  

1. see poor relation; relative (in relation) to.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrelation
  noun
• prerelation
  noun
• subrelation
  noun
• relationless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• relations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of relation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English relacion, from Latin relātiōn-, stem of relātiō “a carrying back, narration, repayment”; equivalent to relate + -ion

Explanation

Relation is a word that can describe a connection — between relatives or any two entities. You might consider your cousin as your relation, and you might have strained relations with him over your grandmother's estate. The way that one thing affects another is their relation like the relation between childhood poverty and poor nutrition, for example. You can also call your relative a relation, as when you describe your great-grandfather as your oldest living relation. The phrase no relation means that even though two people share the same last name, they are not related — or aren't relations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relation relations

These withheld sums are also a pittance in relation to the states’ overall Medicaid spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

A pretty much identical thing happened at McLaren to Oscar Piastri in relation to Lando Norris.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

He’s still trying to grasp who he is in this world and in relation to the real Asa.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

Police have said the cause of the deaths has not been formally established and they are not seeking anyone else in relation to the deaths.

From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026

An A-plus for that summary, she thought: everything there and in its right relation with everything else, not a redundant word, clarity throughout.

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman

He added: "I hope we will never lose strong relations with the UK during or after the war."

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

Mayor Karen Bass’ press relations office communicates through WhatsApp messages that auto-delete every 24 hours, potentially shielding the messages from public records requests, according to three sources familiar with the office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

President Trump said a landmark civilian nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia is subject to the kingdom normalizing relations with Israel.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

During a meeting Wednesday between Wang and Philippine counterpart Theresa Lazaro, China's top diplomat noted "persistent difficulties and challenges in recent years" facing relations, according to a statement by Beijing's foreign ministry.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

They hadn’t just been relations, they’d been friends.

From "Stormbreaker" by Anthony Horowitz

Related Words

• relationship