relation

American  

[ri-lay-shuhn] / rɪˈleɪ ʃən /

noun

• relations
  plural

1. an existing connection; a significant association between or among things.

   the relation between cause and effect.

   Synonyms:

   link, tie, relationship

   Antonyms:

   independence

2. relations,

   1. the various connections between peoples, countries, etc..

      foreign relations.

   2. the various connections in which persons are brought together.

      business and social relations.

   3. sexual intercourse.

3. the mode or kind of connection between one person and another, between an individual and God, etc.

4. connection between persons by blood or marriage.

   Synonyms:

   kinship, relationship

5. a person who is related by blood or marriage; relative.

   his wife's relations.

6. the act of relating, narrating, or telling; narration.

   Synonyms:

   description, recital, recitation

7. Law. a principle whereby effect is given to an act done at one time as if it had been done at a previous time.

8. Mathematics.

   1. a property that associates two quantities in a definite order, as equality or inequality.

   2. a single- or multiple-valued function.

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idioms

1. in / with relation to, with reference to; concerning.

   It's best to plan with relation to anticipated changes in one's earnings.

relation British  

/ rɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

1. the state or condition of being related or the manner in which things are related

2. connection by blood or marriage; kinship

3. a person who is connected by blood or marriage; relative; kinsman

4. reference or regard (esp in the phrase in or with relation to )

5. the position, association, connection, or status of one person or thing with regard to another or others

6. the act of relating or narrating

7. an account or narrative

8. law the principle by which an act done at one time is regarded in law as having been done antecedently

9. law the statement of grounds of complaint made by a relator

10. logic maths

    1. an association between ordered pairs of objects, numbers, etc, such as … is greater than …

    2. the set of ordered pairs whose members have such an association

11. philosophy

    1. a relation that necessarily holds between its relata, as 4 is greater than 2

    2. a relation that does not so hold

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relation More Idioms  

1. see poor relation; relative (in relation) to.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonrelation
  noun
• prerelation
  noun
• subrelation
  noun
• relationless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• relations
  plural

Etymology

Origin of relation

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English relacion, from Latin relātiōn-, stem of relātiō “a carrying back, narration, repayment”; equivalent to relate + -ion

Explanation

Relation is a word that can describe a connection — between relatives or any two entities. You might consider your cousin as your relation, and you might have strained relations with him over your grandmother's estate. The way that one thing affects another is their relation like the relation between childhood poverty and poor nutrition, for example. You can also call your relative a relation, as when you describe your great-grandfather as your oldest living relation. The phrase no relation means that even though two people share the same last name, they are not related — or aren't relations.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

relation relations

“We don’t know how things would develop from here,” one of the executive-level people reportedly told Nikkei Asia in relation to the company reducing its orders for parts for the newly launched premium phones.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

Thames Valley Police has confirmed it is "engaged in legal proceedings in relation to warrants previously obtained from the Central Criminal Court".

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

“I’m interested in both the coming-of-age aspect of these children and also the containment of these birds and these fish, and the children in relation to that containment.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026

Nidec said Kishida tendered his resignation after a review found that he had, on certain occasions, “made statements or engaged in conduct in relation to financial reporting that could not necessarily be regarded as appropriate.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

I felt at times as if he were my relation rather than my master: yet he was imperious sometimes still; but I did not mind that; I saw it was his way.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

On Friday, Trump announced his new pick for White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia, a 42-year-old conservative commentator and public relations liaison who frequently appears on Fox.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

After years of war and tension, their relations improved markedly with the rise to power of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed in 2018.

From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026

Sarah Spreitzer, vice president and chief of staff for government relations at the American Council on Education, said she had found little information about what the new probes would cover.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Tel Aviv has been one of FlyDubai’s key destinations since the U.A.E. and Israel agreed to normalize relations in 2020.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

Though wary of this sudden about-face, Ronald Reagan seemed willing to soften his rhetoric and take a new look at US-Soviet relations.

From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau

Related Words

• relationship