relate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
-
to have reference (often followed byto ).
-
to have some relation (often followed byto ).
-
to establish a social or sympathetic relationship with a person or thing.
two sisters unable to relate to each other.
verb
-
(tr) to tell or narrate (a story, information, etc)
-
(often foll by to) to establish association (between two or more things) or (of something) to have relation or reference (to something else)
-
to form a sympathetic or significant relationship (with other people, things, etc)
Related Words
Relate, recite, recount, rehearse mean to tell, report, or describe in some detail an occurrence or circumstance. To relate is to give an account of happenings, events, circumstances, etc.: to relate one's adventures. To recite may mean to give details consecutively, but more often applies to the repetition from memory of something learned with verbal exactness: to recite a poem. To recount is usually to set forth consecutively the details of an occurrence, argument, experience, etc., to give an account in detail: to recount an unpleasant experience. Rehearse implies some formality and exactness in telling, sometimes with repeated performance as for practice before final delivery: to rehearse one's side of a story.
Other Word Forms
- misrelate verb
- prerelate verb (used with object)
- relatable adjective
- relater noun
- unrelating adjective
Etymology
Origin of relate
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin relātus, past participle of referre “to carry back” ( refer )
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.
Their mother’s polite, excessively formal demeanor cannot mask her befuddlement regarding how to relate to her children.
From Los Angeles Times
The ruling came as part of a wider piece of work related to online ads in the rail industry concerning "lowest" or "cheapest" price claims, with ruling against Abellio Greater Anglia and mytrainticket.co.uk also published.
From BBC
Vista CEO Robert Smith previously settled his own related tax-evasion case with the government.
He thinks this would help offset project and commercial launch risks related to the vessel contract.
UN experts have previously said Ms Azizi's sentencing appeared to be "solely related to her legitimate work as a social worker, including her support for refugees in Iraq and Syria".
From BBC
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.
