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 But, as the book relates, his love of Black music from his home town and elsewhere pulled him through. The New Yorker, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2025 Swift’s involvement in the legal battle relates, in part, to suggestions from Lively that Baldoni altered a rooftop scene at the beginning of the film. Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 12 Sep. 2025 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 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
  • As Mark describes his strategies, his reflections quickly outleap the specifics of the sport and take on a philosophical dimension.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
  • Yep, that describes the Giants for most of the summer, all right.
    Grant Brisbee, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Although the Supreme Court decision pertains to LGBTQ books, the way it’s written could open the door to parents seeking opt-outs from other lessons that conflict with their religious beliefs, said Troy Flint, spokesperson for the California School Boards Association.
    Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 18 Sep. 2025
  • The list pertains to jerseys officially licensed by the NFL Players Association.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 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
  • Your mind tells you one thing while your intuition says another.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
  • So, right there that tells us a lot.
    ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Changes to the program, including fee adjustments and wage requirements, could affect both employers and prospective employees by influencing who applies and how companies structure their hiring.
    Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Without proof of purchase, a $16 reimbursement cap applies.
    Reia Li, AZCentral.com, 24 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Advertisement Far from a faithful rendering of Pynchon’s text, One Battle After Another identifies the most cinematic and emotional veins of Vineland’s network of narrative and, true to Anderson’s word, runs like a thief.
    Rory Doherty, Time, 26 Sep. 2025
  • The computer identifies targets and instructs the motors to adjust the hand and wrist in real time.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Now 22, DeFrancesco recounts that one Christmas his father bought go-carts for him and his brother.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Harrington recounts from his playing days that picking the right partnerships can make or break a Ryder Cup weekend.
    Don Riddell, CNN Money, 25 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Relates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relates. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.

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