relates

Definition of relatesnext
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 As Stephen Greenblatt relates thrillingly in his new biography, Dark Renaissance, Marlowe led a brief and stormy life that deeply transformed the theater. Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025 The mandate relates just to the Sounders and does not include the Seattle Reign, the NWSL team that the Sounders bought last year in a $58 million deal. Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2025 Some of this reporting relates directly to the Fed’s mandates of maximum employment and stable inflation of around 2%. Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025 But instead of simply reciting facts, Hellesen’s Eisenhower relates interesting stories that inform all of these experiences. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Oct. 2025 Another legend relates that a woman and her children trekked into the mountains to escape enemies. Literary Hub, 22 Oct. 2025 As the former Pentagon Papers whistleblower relates, all of us will be losers; sobering words that remain a catalyst for change. Randy McMullen, Mercury News, 16 Oct. 2025 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relates
Verb
  • Lopez describes her daughter as an energetic, talkative child who speaks both English and Spanish.
    Leondra Head, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
  • Among the more moving cases that Blair describes are those of people who in life were vulnerable and powerless but in death were considered formidable threats.
    Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The second innovation pertains to how the chips are powered.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 24 Dec. 2025
  • Also unclear is whether the disagreement pertains only to the ratio of subscriber to non-subscriber streams, or whether YouTube also disputes what Billboard counts as an on-demand stream.
    Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 18 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Everyone associates that with us.
    Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Hunger can be another motivator, especially if your feline associates certain times or behaviors with food.
    Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The adhesive that bonds a child to a sports team is one of the most powerful elements in the universe.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
  • Roeland Park and Prairie Village officials have also stated that the cities are not a part of the STAR bonds district.
    Taylor O'Connor, Kansas City Star, 5 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Rose tells Shaw that her community is concerned about sacred remains being disturbed.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
  • In this intimate portrait of life during the exhilarating early days of the women’s liberation movement in Scandinavia in the 1970s, Pernille Ipsen tells the stories of the seven women who raised her, who were all part of the women’s movement in Denmark.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This impressive deal only applies to the six-piece set, which includes five compression packing cubes and one drawstring bag in select colors.
    Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The mandate also applies to Banner Health’s facilities in California, Colorado, Nebraska, Nevada, and Wyoming.
    Center Square, The Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • For example, emotion AI (when AI identifies human emotions) can help people with difficulty identifying emotions make sense of their meeting partners on video conferencing platforms like Zoom.
    Rachel Curry, CNBC, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Álvarez specifically identifies Colombian President Duque and former President Alvaro Uribe as having knowledge of a secret meeting at a Marriott Hotel in Bogota where discussions included combating the ELN.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Thiongʼo novel in verse which recounts the Gikuyu creation story.
    Amber McBride, Literary Hub, 5 Nov. 2025
  • One story of the Desert Fathers recounts a sighting of a demon perched on the top of the monastery, busily scribbling down all the faults of the brothers within.
    JSTOR Daily, JSTOR Daily, 31 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Relates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relates. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.

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