RELATES Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

relates

verb

present tense third-person singular of relate

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

as in describes

to give an oral or written account of in some detail we asked our uncle to relate the story of his visit to communist Russia many years ago

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

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 The Bible relates the remarkable transformation of Saul of Tarsus – at one time a violent persecutor of Christians – who became a powerful teacher-by-example of love and peace. — Margaret Rogers, Christian Science Monitor, 29 July 2026 This formula relates directly to the cash generation that is available to be paid to the company’s shareholders and debtholders. — Hersh Shefrin, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 Eisman relates that Elon Musk plans to make money from ventures that only exit in the fictional world. — Shawn Tully, Fortune, 24 June 2026 But by then, Rockmount’s shirts were iconic, Weil relates in his third book about Western apparel and Rockmount. — Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 8 June 2026 Silence = Death, the work of the Silence = Death Collective (and not ACT UP, as Avram Finkelstein relates in his interview) became the primary pictorial representation of ACT UP and a rallying slogan for the fight against the disease. — Liz Tracey, JSTOR Daily, 3 June 2026 Jill Biden relates the 2019 primary debate in which Harris got headlines for challenging Biden for his vote four decades earlier on using busing to desegregate schools. — Susan Page, USA Today, 30 May 2026 McQuail relates social constructionism’s influences on media studies first to the theories of propaganda and ideology and second to critical theory. — Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 May 2026 In the epilogue to the book, Olson relates a story about how an influencer named Lyla Biggs posted a video on TikTok right before Black Friday in 2023 featuring the company’s Casey low-rise baggy jeans in the Astrid wash. — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relates

Verb

In the film, Field portrays Tova, the cleaning lady who bonds with the somewhat cranky Marcellus, an octopus wise behind his years, in Netflix’s screen adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt’s bestselling novel.

— Denise Petski, Deadline, 8 July 2026
Once there, Emily bonds with four other counselors — played by Alice Wordsworth, Cherry Moore, Lea Rose Sebastianis and Ella Reece — who begin to explore their witchy reality together.

— William Earl, Variety, 26 June 2026

Definition of bonds

Verb

Moore describes her apprenticeship as both exciting and exhausting.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
El-Sayed describes himself as a capitalist and is not endorsed by the Democratic Socialists, but shares a similar policy platform to many of their candidates, such as abolishing ICE.

— Sam Gringlas, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of describes

Verb

That pertains with or without the presence of breast milk, the TSA specifies.

— Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 July 2026
There are examples of this sort of thing across college athletics, where players try to avoid paying a buyout that pertains to their previous school.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of pertains

Verb

The productivity boom everyone associates with the personal computer didn’t actually show up in the macro data until 15 years after the PC was commercialized.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 14 July 2026
The two-time Oscar winner, who was born in Concord and grew up in the East Bay, associates that sign with some of his favorite Bay Area childhood memories.

— Randy Myers, Mercury News, 15 June 2026

Definition of associates

Verb

The measure applies to residential properties valued at more than $1 million, depending on the type of property, that are not the owner’s primary residence.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 29 July 2026
The same discipline applies one level up, to the model providers themselves.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026

Definition of applies

Verb

Ideally, over time, these outcomes accumulate into a repository of actioned and labeled data that reflects how an organization identifies risk, prioritizes responses and achieves successful resolutions.

— Terrence McCrossan, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
The plan has been in the works since 2022 and identifies more than 30 strategies to raise the recycling rate from 36% to 77% within the next 13 years.

— Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026

Definition of identifies

Verb

Even Flynn, a high school history teacher whose curriculum recounts the cyclical nature of wars and revolutions, needed to believe in that possibility of a reprieve, despite reiterating death’s inevitability in the classroom.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 15 July 2026
The report recounts detainees saying that guards beat detainees in response to hunger strikes, requests for medical attention and complaints regarding detention conditions.

— Michael Biesecker, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026