pertain
Americanverb (used without object)
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to have reference or relation; relate.
documents pertaining to the lawsuit.
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to belong or be connected as a part, adjunct, possession, or attribute.
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to belong properly or fittingly; be appropriate.
verb
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to have reference, relation, or relevance
issues pertaining to women
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to be appropriate
the product pertains to real user needs
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to belong (to) or be a part (of); be an adjunct, attribute, or accessory (of)
Etymology
Origin of pertain
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pertenen, partenen, perteinen, from Middle French partein-, stem of partenir, from Latin pertinēre “to be applicable,” literally, “to hold through, reach,” equivalent to per- per- + -tinēre, combining form of tenēre “to hold”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yet the most haunting contested claim of Moy’s life did not pertain to music.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Some of the strategic and analytical things that pertain to matches weren’t really available.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
Name, image, and likeness, or NIL, laws usually pertain to the rights of individuals, particularly student-athletes, to profit from their personal brand.
From Slate • Aug. 11, 2024
The discoveries in this research pertain to diseases that accumulate 4R tau.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2024
The individual sentences are clear enough, and they obviously pertain to a single topic.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
