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”
Explanation
To pertain is to be relevant or somehow associated with something. If you're a lawyer, you try to find evidence that will pertain to the case and eliminate anything that is not connected. Behind the verb pertain lies the Latin verb pertinēre, which means "to be applicable" or "to hold through." If you think the rules of the road don't pertain to you, try explaining that to the state trooper when you get pulled over. Usage note: The word pertain often takes an s at the end, as in "That pertains to this matter," but loses it with a helper: “That doesn’t pertain to it.”
Vocabulary lists containing pertain
Vocabulary from the Magna Carta on its 800th Anniversary
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Stamped
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Merle Haggard (1937-2016) Tribute List
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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.
All of these estate-planning documents pertain to adults over the age of 18, so Trust & Will’s survey starts with Generation Z, whose members are now between the ages of 16 and 29.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026
Yet the most haunting contested claim of Moy’s life did not pertain to music.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Paramount downplayed its latest setback, saying Zurn’s ruling “does not pertain to the merits of Paramount’s claim.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026
Its insights pertain to the complex rules that govern the processes that emerge when millions of synapses undergo plasticity under in vivo conditions -- like in the living brain.
From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2024
“Katherine, this doesn’t really pertain to you,” Dad said.
From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
