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
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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:
Despite his well-intentioned wisecrack — or perhaps because of it — Holmes can relate to her new associate.
From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026
Larger studies will be needed to establish whether these changes are consistent and how they relate to improvements in physical health.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026
The Fed suggests this may relate to the concurrent increase in interest rates for mortgages and consumer loans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
“He was quieter, he was thoughtful, he was really smart, more creative. But we thought kids could relate to him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Since they knew nothing about the magical nature of the preserve, there was no way they could possibly relate to what she had experienced.
From "Fablehaven" by Brandon Mull
The Fitbit data allowed them to compare participants' movement habits with their sleep patterns over time, offering a more detailed picture of how everyday activity relates to sleep quality and next-day mood.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 12, 2026
The lawsuit details 15 examples dating to 2017 in which injured individuals tell medical attendants a different story than the one the law firm relates in its injury claims against the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
“The Department has not had any conversations about TPS or how it relates to construction projects around the city,” the spokesperson wrote in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
The charge relates to activity which is alleged to have taken place between May 2024 and July 2026.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
It was, he explained, a French word for extended forums “to open lines of communication in order that all people might understand each other’s role as it relates to desegregation problems.”
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
"No personal data related to our rentals is shared with car manufacturers, our owners or other third parties without explicit legal grounds," he added, without specifying whether the onboard videos may have been transferred.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
“Be cautious of unexpected emails, phone calls, or text messages” related to the incident, including claims that the caller is from ETS or the state or a credit monitoring company, officials also warned.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
This ability is related to a process known as predictive coding.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026
The letters were sent to addresses including secretary of state offices and related election offices, the bureau said Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Brigit kept trying to knit more details related to Masterji Thakur's whereabouts.
From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton
Rafael will also reveal a connection to Lorca that, within the overarching narrative, drives a literary mystery relating to the unfinished play.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Melrose Industries said its GKN Aerospace unit reached a $125 million settlement with authorities in California relating to a chemicals case, and that it expects to restart operations at the site this quarter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
It's unclear whether Blair will face charges relating to the incident.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
“I just knew that it felt real to me. I posted it on TikTok every single day, sometimes twice a day, because I could picture girls singing it with me and relating to that feeling.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
But on January 21, Hiss was convicted of perjury relating to his alleged espionage; he could not be tried as a spy because the five-year statute of limitations had run out.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
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