relate
[ ri-leyt ]
/ rɪˈleɪt /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object), re·lat·ed, re·lat·ing.
to tell; give an account of (an event, circumstance, etc.).
to bring into or establish association, connection, or relation: to relate events to probable causes.
verb (used without object), re·lat·ed, re·lat·ing.
to have reference (often followed by to).
to have some relation (often followed by to).
to establish a social or sympathetic relationship with a person or thing: two sisters unable to relate to each other.
SYNONYMS FOR relate
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Origin of relate
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin relātus, past participle of referre “to carry back” (see refer)
synonym study for relate
1. 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 WORDS FROM relate
Words nearby relate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for relate
British Dictionary definitions for relate
relate
/ (rɪˈleɪt) /
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)
(intr often foll by to) to form a sympathetic or significant relationship (with other people, things, etc)
Derived forms of relate
relatable, adjectiverelater, nounWord Origin for relate
C16: from Latin relātus brought back, from referre to carry back, from re- + ferre to bear; see refer
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012