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

Diggs' milestone came during a week in which he was charged with strangulation and other criminal offenses related to a dispute Diggs allegedly had with his former private chef. —CBS News, 5 Jan. 2026

Speaking before the Leeds game, Amorim hinted at differences of opinion relating to the 3-4-3 formation and an inability to sign the players his preferred system requires. —David Ornstein, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2026

In 2023, there were 281 infant hospital admissions related to maternal alcohol and drug use. —Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 4 Jan. 2026

On a recent Friday in late November, Eric Hauge spotted a wave of new eviction filings across Minnesota, many but not all of them related to public housing authorities in the Twin Cities. —Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 4 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for relate to

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