communicate

communicate — verb

1. to give or exchange facts, news, or ideas with another person, using speech, wri

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to give or exchange facts, news, or ideas with another person, using speech, writing, signs, or body movements — for example, telling a colleague about a meeting time, or waving to show you see a friend across a street.

Example

Ravi communicates with his deaf neighbour using sign language every week.

communicate + with [person]

The manager communicated the new safety rules to all factory workers this morning.

communicate + [object] + to [recipient]

Common collocations
  • communicate information
  • communicate ideas
  • communicate news
  • communicate a message
  • communicate clearly
  • communicate directly
  • communicate regularly
  • communicate by email
  • communicate in writing
  • communicate with someone
Synonyms
  • convey

    more formal, one-directional; focuses on the message reaching the destination

  • relay

    passing information through a chain or from one person to the next

  • transmit

    more technical, often used for signals, data, or diseases

Antonyms
  • conceal

    keeping information hidden on purpose

  • withhold

    refusing to give information that someone expects

Grammar Patterns

communicate + with [person]

communicate + [information] + to [someone]

communicate + through [medium or signal]

communicate + by [method]

communicate + that-clause

Usage Note

When the focus is on two-way exchange, use 'communicate with [person]'. When the focus is on the message reaching someone, use 'communicate [information] to [recipient]'.

Common Mistakes

I need to communicate to my boss about the delay.
I need to communicate the delay to my boss.
'communicate to [person]' without an object is incomplete; include the information being communicated.
She communicated him the news.
She communicated the news to him.
The recipient requires 'to' after a direct object.

2. to express your private thoughts, emotions, or needs in a way that another perso

2.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to express your private thoughts, emotions, or needs in a way that another person can truly understand what you are feeling inside — for instance, telling a partner you are hurt by their words, not just stating a fact.

Example

Theo finds it hard to communicate his feelings when he feels upset or angry.

communicate + feelings/emotions

Good friends communicate openly about what bothers them instead of staying silent.

communicate + about [topic]

Common collocations
  • communicate feelings
  • communicate emotions
  • communicate needs
  • communicate concerns
  • communicate openly
  • communicate honestly
  • communicate effectively
  • struggle to communicate
  • learn to communicate
  • communicate with each other
Synonyms
  • express

    broader; can be one-directional; 'express' does not require the listener to understand

  • convey

    more formal; focuses on the sender successfully transmitting the emotion

  • articulate

    suggests putting thoughts into clear, well-chosen words

Antonyms
  • suppress

    holding back feelings instead of expressing them

  • bottle up

    informal; keeping emotions hidden until they become overwhelming

Grammar Patterns

communicate + [emotion/need]

communicate + about [topic]

communicate + through [means of expression]

communicate + with [person] + about [topic]

Usage Note

Frequently used with abstract nouns such as 'feelings', 'emotions', 'needs', 'fears', or 'concerns'. Unlike sense 1, this sense emphasises emotional transparency and mutual understanding rather than factual information exchange.

Common Mistakes

She communicated about her feelings to me.
She communicated her feelings to me.
When a direct object (feelings) is present, 'about' is unnecessary and creates an unnatural structure.

3. to pass an illness or infection from one living creature to another, either dire

3.verbtransitive
Definition

to pass an illness or infection from one living creature to another, either directly or through a carrier — for example, when a mosquito spreads malaria to a person it bites.

Example

Mosquitoes can communicate malaria when they bite a person after biting an infected host.

communicate + disease + to [recipient]

The infected cow communicated the virus to the rest of the herd within days.

Common collocations
  • communicate a disease
  • communicate a virus
  • communicate an infection
  • communicate bacteria
  • communicated through contact
  • communicated by insects
  • communicated from mother to child
Synonyms
  • transmit

    the preferred modern term in medicine; 'communicate' sounds dated in this sense

  • spread

    the most common everyday word for diseases moving between people

  • pass on

    informal phrasal verb, very common in casual speech

Grammar Patterns

communicate + [disease] + to [person/animal]

be communicated + through [means]

Usage Note

More common in formal medical writing. In everyday speech, 'spread' or 'transmit' are used far more often for diseases. 'Communicable disease' (adjective form) is the standard term in public health.

Common Mistakes

He communicated me the flu.
He communicated the flu to me.
The recipient must be introduced with 'to', never as an indirect object without a preposition.

4. (of two rooms or spaces) to be connected by a door or opening so that people can

4.verbintransitive
Definition

(of two rooms or spaces) to be connected by a door or opening so that people can walk directly from one into the other without leaving the building.

Example

The master bedroom communicates with a private study through a narrow wooden door.

communicate + with [room] + through [opening]

In older European hotels, the dining room and the lounge often communicate directly.

Common collocations
  • communicate with [room]
  • rooms communicate directly
  • rooms communicate via [passage]
  • communicating door
  • communicating rooms
Synonyms
  • connect

    the standard modern term; 'communicate' sounds dated in comparison

  • lead into

    describes the directional relationship from one room to another

  • open onto

    suggests a direct doorway without a corridor

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

[room] + communicates + with + [room]

[room] + and + [room] + communicate

Usage Note

Now considered old-fashioned or formal; modern English overwhelmingly uses 'connect', 'lead into', or 'open onto' instead. Mainly found in descriptions of historic buildings or formal architectural writing.

Common Mistakes

The kitchen communicates to the dining room.
The kitchen communicates with the dining room.
This sense always uses 'with', never 'to', for the connecting room.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words involve passing information, but they differ in directionality and formality. 'Communicate' emphasises a two-way exchange where both sides participate; it is the broadest and most interpersonal of the group. 'Convey' is more formal and one-directional — the focus is on the message successfully reaching its destination, not on any response. 'Transmit' is the most technical; it is used for signals, data, or diseases moving through a medium (radio waves, cables, air), and rarely implies human interaction. 'Relay' means passing something along a chain, often third-hand ('relay a message through a friend'), so the original sender and the final recipient are not in direct contact. 'Express' focuses on the sender's side: putting thoughts or feelings into words, regardless of whether the listener truly understands. In a daily conversation, you communicate with a colleague; you convey urgency in your voice; the internet transmits data; you relay a phone message; and you express your opinion during a meeting.

convey ↗transmit ↗relay ↗express ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • communicate with each other
  • communicate in person
  • communicate in writing
  • ways to communicate
  • ability to communicate
  • fail to communicate

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'communicare' meaning 'to share, divide out, make common', which comes from 'communis' meaning 'common, public, shared by many'. The word entered English through French in the 1500s. The idea at its root is 'making something common to everyone' — sharing information so that it is no longer private. The disease sense (passing an illness from person to person) developed later, in the 19th century. The architectural sense of rooms connecting was already present in Latin ('communicare' could describe rooms that share a doorway).