relation

American  

[ri-lay-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.

---

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

---

relation More Idioms  

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

---

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

But history shows little relation between a stock’s valuation and its price over the short term.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Tottenham fan Dakota said "I'm almost glad I can't make it" in relation to a Spurs social media advert about the north London derby, which listed DJs, drinks, face painting and freestylers.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

But the executive Alice Huang -- also known as Huang Le, and no relation to 63-year-old Taiwanese-born Jensen Huang -- developed a close relationship with the Nvidia boss, the New York Times said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

Based on these findings, the researchers propose that oxygen should be recognized as an independent component of silicate melts, rather than being considered only in relation to other elements.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 29, 2026

Oddly enough, its architect was named Frank P. Burnham, no relation.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

She said the documents would be reviewed and in some instances may need to be redacted "for the purposes of avoiding prejudice to national security or international relations".

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

Oil prices were mixed Thursday following a sharp selloff in the previous session as traders assessed the outlook for U.S.-Iran relations and recovering oil supplies from the Middle East.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

He added that he hoped the result would "introduce a new era in world relations".

From Barron's ● Nov. 4, 2026

Recent university graduate Lotte Underwood is a public relations executive with a twist - she spends more time using AI than actually doing PR.

From BBC ● Nov. 4, 2026

Supreme Court ruled unanimously that segregation of the nation’s public schools violated the constitutional rights of black students—a landmark decision that would affect race relations across America.

From "Because They Marched" by Russell Freedman

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• relationship

---