relate
Americanverb (used with object)
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relates,
present (3rd person singular)
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related,
past participle, past
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relating
present participle
verb (used without object)
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relates,
present (3rd person singular)
-
related,
past participle, past
-
relating
present participle
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to have reference (often followed byto ).
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to have some relation (often followed byto ).
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to establish a social or sympathetic relationship with a person or thing.
two sisters unable to relate to each other.
verb
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(tr) to tell or narrate (a story, information, etc)
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(often foll by to) to establish association (between two or more things) or (of something) to have relation or reference (to something else)
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to form a sympathetic or significant relationship (with other people, things, etc)
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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relaternoun
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misrelateverb
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prerelateverb (used with object)
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relatableadjective
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unrelatingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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relatesimple
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relatessimple
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have relatedperfect
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has relatedperfect
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am relatingprogressive
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are relatingprogressive
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is relatingprogressive
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have been relatingperfect progressive
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has been relatingperfect progressive
Past
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relatedsimple
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had relatedperfect
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was relatingprogressive
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were relatingprogressive
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had been relatingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of relate
First recorded in 1480–90; from Latin relātus, past participle of referre “to carry back” ( see refer)
Explanation
The verb relate means "to make a connection." If you can relate to someone's story, something like that has happened to you. Relate also means "to give an account of something verbally," like relating details of your trip to Sweden. That meaning of relate comes from the Latin word relatus, meaning "to recount, tell." If you talk about the federal budget crisis, people might not be interested until you relate it, meaning "explain the relationship between," to the possible job cuts at your local schools and police departments.
Vocabulary lists containing relate
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Stamp Act (1765)
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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.
See Examples For:
As an older woman herself, Taylor can relate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026
If you have concerns about his debit-card transactions, ask for a transparent accounting of his expenses from the relevant party, and how they relate to his care.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
A spokesman in June described the episode to me as an ordinary argument that lots of people can relate to, but few married couples I know have had the cops check in on their quarrels.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
"The characters in general are so easy to read about. You can relate in different parts to a lot of them, I find," said Booth.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
“That, unfortunately, I do not know. I think I remember reading of a younger sister of Mrs. Armstrong’s.”Poirot went on to relate the joint conclusions of himself and Dr. Constantine.
From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie
Additional fossils could provide a more complete picture of how this ancient species lived and how it relates to other early apes.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
Huang could be beneficial to an intelligence official keen on getting a sense of Trump’s thinking on U.S. strategy as it relates to chips, according to Bresnick.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
Barrow's other main problem relates to geography and an international calendar that leaves them ill-prepared to face the leading southern hemisphere nations.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
As for the possibility suggested in the film’s title, it seems as shimmeringly multivalent as the film itself, though one meaning no doubt relates to Ye-ji’s desire to “love” Ho-seok and Mi-ok.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Mr. Kleiman relates the latest news from town, and he’s an excellent source.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
SYDNEY—Macquarie reported a larger-than-expected 50% rise in first-half profit, as the Australian financial group’s commodity related earnings surged on increased market volatility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
A few dozen ballot measures related to data centers were put before voters this week, according to Redbud Consulting.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
On 23 November 2020, he pleaded guilty to several charges related to his involvement in protests outside the Hong Kong police headquarters in 2019.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
Sharon explained that early Alzheimer's related changes can vary considerably in severity.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 5, 2026
A judge ruled that Grace Garcia, because she was related to Eduardo Leones and had led the expedition to dig up the cabin boy’s treasure, was entitled to everything buried underneath the school.
From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein
"It would not be appropriate for him to address matters of particular policy relating to the UK government's position," the spokesperson said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026
When asked about the King's reaction to the prime minister's comments, the spokesperson said it would "not be appropriate" for the King to address matters of policy relating to "the UK Government's position".
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
In November 2020, he admitted two counts of careless driving relating to two incidents in which a Citroen van and a Mercedes were damaged.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Last month, OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, said it had solved one of maths' great unsolved problems, relating to the famous Navier–Stokes equations.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
Write and define adjectives denoting relating to, like, or being, from the following nouns:—
From New Word-Analysis by William Swinton
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
