Dictionary

relate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ɹiˈleɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio
• /ɹɪˈleɪt/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From Latin relātus, perfect passive participle of referō (“carry back; report”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). Doublet of refer. See also infer, collate and confer, delate and defer, as well as prefer and prelate among others.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To tell in a descriptive way.
   • Please relate the circumstances of your journey here today.
   • The captain related an old yarn.
2. (intransitive) To be relevant specifically to.
   • These regulations relate only to exported goods.
3. (transitive) To bring into a relation, association, or connection (between one thing and another).
   • The use of video made it possible to relate the talk to the answers given to particular problems in the test. With this research design it was possible to relate changes in test score measures to changes in linguistic features[…] 2002, Paul Light, Karen Littleton, Learning with Computers: Analysing Productive Interactions, page 92:
4. (intransitive) To have a connection.
   • The patterns on the screen relate to the pitch and volume of the music being played.
5. (intransitive, jargon) To interact.
   • 'Men' and 'women' are separate and incomplete identities forced to relate in prescribed patterns. 1971, Jude, “Destruction of "Sexual Duality"”, in Body Politic, number 1, page 3:
   • Children who find it hard to relate end up being inadequately socialized.
6. (intransitive) To respond through reaction.
7. (intransitive) To identify with; to understand.
   • I find it difficult to relate to others because I'm extremely introverted.
8. (obsolete) To bring back; to restore.
   • Abate your zealous haste, till morrow next again / Both light of heaven and strength of men relate. 1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book III, Canto IX”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC, stanza 51:

Forms

Deriveds

relatability · irrelate · relate to someone · aforerelated · unrelate · correlate · interrelate · misrelate

Relateds

reference · relation · refer · relatable · relationship · relater · relative

Synonyms

refer · recount · pertain · state · divulge · ally · chronicle · describe

Translations (50)

fi samaistaa (to make a connection from something to something else) · bg отнасям към (to make a connection from something to something else) · es relacionar (to give an association) · mi āmiki (to tell in a descriptive manner) · bg свързан съм (to have a connection) · mi āmiku (to tell in a descriptive manner) · got 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌻𐌻𐍉𐌽 (to tell in a descriptive manner) · es relatar (to tell in a descriptive manner) · cmn 有關 /有关 (to have a connection) · fi vastata (to respond through reaction) · he הזדהה (to identify with, understand) · fi samaistua (to have a connection) · fi samastua (to identify with, understand) · es relacionar (to make a connection from something to something else) · ja 繋げる (to make a connection from something to something else) · fi reagoida (to respond through reaction) · ja 結び付ける (to make a connection from something to something else) · fi yhdistyä (to have a connection) · fi liittyä (to have a connection) · pdc aabelange (to have a connection) · uk розка́зувати (to tell in a descriptive manner) · fa روایت کردن (to tell in a descriptive manner) · pdc aabelange (to make a connection from something to something else) · la referō (to tell in a descriptive manner) · es relacionarse (to have a connection) · sa गदति (to tell in a descriptive manner) · uk пов'я́зувати (to make a connection from something to something else) · ja 関連付ける (to make a connection from something to something else) · cy adrodd (to tell in a descriptive manner) · fi samastua (to have a connection) · pt identificar-se (to identify with, understand) · fi ymmärtää (to identify with, understand) · mi whiti (to tell in a descriptive manner) · fi tuoda mieleen (to give an association) · nl vertellen (to tell in a descriptive manner) · la narrō (to tell in a descriptive manner) · ja 繋げる (to give an association) · fi liittää (to make a connection from something to something else) · bg описвам (to tell in a descriptive manner) · pt relatar (to tell in a descriptive manner) · uk розповіда́ти (to tell in a descriptive manner) · uk пов'я́зувати (to give an association) · uk асоціюва́ти (to give an association) · it riferire (to tell in a descriptive manner) · bg свързвам (to give an association) · uk відно́ситися (to have a connection) · de berichten (to tell in a descriptive manner) · ca identificar-se (amb) (to identify with, understand) · pt relacionar (to give an association) · fi yhdistää (to make a connection from something to something else)