relates

present tense third-person singular of relate
1
as in communes
to form a close personal relationship she and I relate so well it's almost like we're siblings

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
3
as in pertains
to have a relation or connection how does your comment relate to what the rest of us have been talking about for the last hour?

Synonyms & Similar Words

4
as in associates
to think of (something) in combination most Americans probably relate tea to the United Kingdom and coffee to the U.S.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of relates Toward the end of one documentary, Guy relates a tragic incident in which two démineurs from his team were killed while rearranging a crate of unexploded artillery shells. Michael Jerome Plunkett september 5, Literary Hub, 5 Sep. 2025 Organized in themes like the baby doll and the slip dress, the book relates fashion to culture, and offers a picture of an industry—and a city—that operated at a different pace. Vogue Runway, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2025 The copious observations and reflections that the speaker relates expand the movie—a mere seventy-one minutes long—into a work of novelistic amplitude. Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2025 The film opens in the desolate Arctic, where Victor has chased his creation, and flashes back as Frankenstein relates his life’s story to a Danish sea captain whose ship is stuck in the ice. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 30 Aug. 2025 The sense of grievance at Newcastle relates not just to the Isak saga but to Liverpool’s signing of Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt last month and even to the Merseyside club’s interest in Anthony Gordon last summer. Oliver Kay, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2025 Rolovich is a sharp offensive mind and relates well to the players. Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relates
Verb
  • In a study, the team describes how cooling a gas of radioactive atoms to temperatures colder than deep space could synchronize their radioactive decay.
    Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The document describes workers becoming one with their fiery machines.
    Sonja Fritzsche, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Pulte said the new referral pertains to her mortgage for a condo in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
    Sean Conlon,Brian Evans, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2025
  • The first reason essentially pertains to image and propaganda.
    Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Create Low-Stakes Opportunities for Visibility Gen Z often associates visibility with exposure to criticism.
    Ruth Oh Reitmeier, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • Especially given the fact that the latter only associates itself with organic style stars, not limited to Solange and Beyoncé.
    Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The film follows Costner as a Civil War soldier who bonds with a Sioux tribe and adapts to their way of life.
    Leah Sarnoff, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2025
  • Andor soon bonds with Klára, but later becomes infatuated with his late father, a ticket salesman with connections to the entertainment industry (escapism is a recurring motif) and an observant Jew, whose faith becomes of great interest to the boy.
    Damon Wise, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The movie tells the true story of Joe Scaravella, played by actor-producer Vince Vaughn, his restaurant Enoteca Maria and its staff of nonnas.
    Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Advocate for flexibility The same principle applies to flexible work environments, which reduce fatigue and burnout for caregivers and noncaregivers alike.
    Colleen Tolan, The Conversation, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The program, at least for now, only applies to providers and patients in New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and Washington, according to Axios.
    Michelle Marchante, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Set up with a post-credits scene at the end of War, this film finds the League investigating the death of an entire American nuclear submarine crew, which Wonder Woman identifies as the work of warriors from Atlantis.
    Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The test identifies over 120 allergens, including food intolerances, environmental triggers, and household irritants.
    Kasey Caminiti, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • This exhibit recounts that history through artifacts, photographs, first-person accounts, family objects and even sweet treats.
    Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • The Reddit post by user Olastun_bee recounts how the office transitioned from modern business casual—polos, cardigans, khakis—to a retro formality overnight.
    Darlin Tillery, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Relates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relates. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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