relate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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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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relatableadjective
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prerelateverb (used with object)
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unrelatingadjective
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relaternoun
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misrelateverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have relatedperfect
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has relatedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been relatingperfect progressive
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am relatingprogressive 1st person singular
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has been relatingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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relatessingular 3rd person
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relatingparticiple
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are relatingprogressive
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is relatingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had relatedperfect
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were relatingprogressive plural
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relatedsimple
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was relatingprogressive singular
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relatedparticiple
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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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Stamp Act (1765)
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
Highlighting the "experiences and challenges" faced by fans during a "genuinely global cultural moment", Smoller says, was the approach in order to make something "very human and easy to relate to".
From BBC • Jun. 12, 2026
So I wanted to make a comedy in this playground of shame because it’s something that I can relate to, but I just had a sense that this is a very universal feeling.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026
What era this is from: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s The generation that will relate to it the most: Every single one!
From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026
Prediction-market platform Kalshi recently unveiled a swath of “market integrity” updates that all relate to one thing: stopping illegal trading by insiders.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
“Are you asking if I’ll take you? How does this relate to your great yarn idea?”
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
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.
