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

The title could also be related to Joel’s father, who, at one point, when Joel was a child, and another time, as an apparition in Joel’s adulthood, seems to have tried to offer Joel a kind of meaning. —Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025

No illnesses related to the recall have been reported. —Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 25 Jan. 2025

Millions of government records related to the Kennedy assassination have been released but some information remains classified and redacted. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025

The Ali who spoke English in America is not the same who relates to the world in Turkish. —Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 25 Jan. 2025