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

Friday's sentence was related to small amounts of cocaine and ecstasy being found at the rapper's Miami home during a police raid in March, and his punching a man who taunted him at a Florida mall in August over his cooperation against gang members. —CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025

By October, teenagers in multiple states began receiving notices related to the fee, according to The Intercept. —Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Dec. 2025

Campo and Sensi are charged with four conspiracy counts related to narcoterrorism, terrorism, narcotics distribution and money laundering. —Fortune, 6 Dec. 2025

The study analyzed 500 cities on 42 metrics related to well-being, including sleep quality, mental health, commute times, access to nature, financial stability and recreation. —Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 6 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for relate to

• hullabaloo
• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup