relate to

phrasal verb

related to; relating to; relates to

1

: to connect (something) with (something else)

Few of the people who became sick related their symptoms to the food they'd eaten the day before.

2

: to understand and like or have sympathy for (someone or something)

I can relate to your feelings.

I've never been able to relate to him very well.

He writes songs that people can really relate to.

3

—used to describe how someone talks to or behaves toward (someone else)

How a child relates to her teacher can affect her education.

4

: to be connected with (someone or something) : to be about (someone or something)

The readings relate to the class discussions.

—often used as (be) related to

The exam questions are directly related to the readings.

Examples of relate to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

He was also charged with two felony firearms possession counts related to the April 2022 shooting that police say involved at least five shooters and left behind a chaotic crime scene littered with more than 100 shell casings. —Cindy Von Quednow, CNN, 10 June 2024

Martin was awaiting trial on felony charges of murder, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and possession and transport of a machine gun, related to the April 3, 2022, shooting. —Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 10 June 2024

The charter change also would make commissioners responsible for setting commission rules and policies related to investigations, also in an effort to prevent politics from informing any future commission cases or other activities. —Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2024

While not directly related to the migration mystery, the myriad artifacts the team found are valuable clues, offering new insights into how these Pacific communities lived. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 June 2024