relate

relate — verb

1. to discover or demonstrate that separate facts, events, or ideas belong together

1.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to discover or demonstrate that separate facts, events, or ideas belong together or influence one another

Example

Kabir finds it hard to relate the strange cave symbols to any known language.

relate + object + to + object

The study relates higher education levels to better health outcomes across the population.

Common collocations
  • relate to
  • relate with
  • closely related
  • directly related
  • be related to
Synonyms
  • connect

    more general; can refer to physical or abstract linking; relate emphasises a logical or causal tie

  • associate

    suggests a mental link in one's mind rather than an objective causal relationship

  • link

    similar to connect but often implies a stronger, more direct bond

Antonyms
  • separate

    to divide things that were connected

  • isolate

    to consider or treat something as independent from others

Grammar Patterns

relate [something] to [something]

relate [something] with [something]

be related to [something]

Usage Note

This sense is often used in the passive form: be related to. The preposition to is far more common than with in modern English.

Common Mistakes

This problem relates with that one.
This problem relates to that one.
the standard preposition for showing connection is to, not with, except in very rare cases.

2. to tell someone in detail about something that happened, describing events in th

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to tell someone in detail about something that happened, describing events in the order they took place

Example

Naoko related the hiking trip events with great excitement in her voice.

relate + event + with + manner adverb

The witness calmly related to the judge what she had seen that night.

relate + object + to + indirect object (formal)

Common collocations
  • relate a story
  • relate an event
  • relate an experience
  • relate how / what / that
Synonyms
  • recount

    very close in meaning; recount emphasises a step-by-step retelling, while relate can include explanation of significance

  • narrate

    more literary; narrate often implies a structured story with a plot

  • describe

    broader — can cover sensory details rather than a sequence of events

Antonyms
  • conceal

    to keep something hidden instead of telling it

Grammar Patterns

relate [a story / an event / an account]

relate [a story] to [someone]

relate that [+ clause]

Usage Note

This sense is more formal than tell or recount. It is often found in written narratives, historical accounts, and formal speeches rather than everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

He related me the whole story.
He related the whole story to me.
relate does not take an indirect object without to; use tell for the double-object pattern ('He told me the story').

3. to feel that you understand and share the feelings or experiences of another per

3.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to feel that you understand and share the feelings or experiences of another person because you have been through something similar yourself

Example

Vinícius relates to the main character because he grew up in a fishing town.

can relate to + someone (empathy through shared experience)

After losing her job, Rania could relate to friends with similar struggles.

Common collocations
  • relate to someone
  • relate to a situation
  • can relate
  • cannot relate
  • find it hard to relate to
Synonyms
  • empathize

    stronger emotional depth; empathize often suggests more deliberate emotional effort

  • sympathize

    you feel sorry for someone, but not necessarily from personal experience; relate implies direct shared experience

  • connect with

    phrasal verb; similar in meaning but broader — can include intellectual or social rapport

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

relate to [someone]

relate to [a situation / a feeling]

can / cannot relate to [something]

Usage Note

Very common in informal spoken English, especially in the phrase I can relate (to that). The negative form I can't relate (to that) is equally frequent in casual conversation.

Common Mistakes

I relate his situation.
I relate to his situation.
in this sense, relate is intransitive and must be followed by to.
Phrasal verbs

relate to

phrasal verb

To understand or feel connected to someone or something because of shared experiences or feelings.

Maya can relate to the main character's struggle in the novel.

Do you relate to the challenges described in the article?

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

Connect, associate, and link all overlap with relate in the SHOW CONNECTION sense, but with different emphases. Connect is the broadest of the four — it covers physical joining (connect two pipes) as well as abstract ties, and does not necessarily imply causation. Associate typically describes a mental or emotional link that exists in a person's mind rather than an objective relationship: people associate the colour red with danger, but the two are not causally tied. Link suggests a direct, often strong bond, as in the police linked the suspect to the crime scene. Relate goes a step further: it often implies that one thing influences, causes, or explains another. For example, a study may relate poverty to poor health outcomes — suggesting poverty plays a causal role — whereas the same study might only connect the two statistically without claiming causation. In everyday use, however, the four words are often used interchangeably, with relate leaning slightly more formal and analytical.

connect ↗associate ↗link ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be related to
  • relate to each other
  • in relation to

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Relate comes from Latin relatus, the past participle of referre, meaning 'to carry back' — formed from re- ('back') and ferre ('to carry'). It entered English in the 1400s through French relater. The earliest meaning was 'to recount, to bring back a report' (now sense 2). The 'show a connection' meaning (sense 1) developed in the 1600s, and the 'understand through shared experience' meaning (sense 3) emerged in everyday speech in the 1900s.