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 These books, which have also been translated into Spanish, relate to his experiences as an immigrant. —

Eduard Cauich, Los Angeles Times, 5 May 2024 Government data shows that Baja California currently holds first place in vehicle theft and second place in homicides, most of which are related to drug dealing or organized crime, Mexico’s secretary of defense, Luis Cresencio Sandoval, said this year. —

Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, New York Times, 4 May 2024 Homicide detectives have detained a person related to the incident. —

Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 4 May 2024 Charges — five felonies and a misdemeanor related to the crash — were filed Friday against Donald Crayton, 30, of Milwaukee, who lived at the same address as Zekani and her mother. —

Alison Dirr, Journal Sentinel, 4 May 2024 Researchers have long attributed the standard, counterclockwise spin of tornadoes to forces related to Earth’s rotation, a phenomenon known as the Coriolis effect. —

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2024 Listening to podcasts can be a great way to learn more about self-care and wellness techniques, relate to others, and build community. —

Dominique Fluker, Essence, 3 May 2024 No credible news reports support the post's claim that Simpson's death was related to the COVID-19 vaccine. —

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 3 May 2024 And the teams for everything related to Madonna, of course, are quite rigorous. —

Billboard Brasil, Billboard, 3 May 2024

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.