relate to

phrasal verb

related to; relating to; relates to

: 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.

: 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.

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

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

: 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 The law comes as several states across the country have introduced bills related to gender identity and sexuality in schools. —

Alexandra Banner, CNN, 16 July 2024 Musk made the announcements on his X social media site Tuesday, citing frustration over a new law in California related to transgender children in public schools. —

Richard Clough and Loren Grush / Bloomberg, TIME, 16 July 2024 The roles range from engineering positions to jobs related to installing Megapacks and solar products. —

Bloomberg, The Mercury News, 16 July 2024 The decision in federal court Monday to throw out the pending case against him on charges of mishandling classified documents isn't related to the New York conviction. —

Susan Page, USA TODAY, 16 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for relate to

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'relate to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.