RELATES Synonyms: 72 Similar and Opposite Words

relates

verb

Definition of relates next

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 There’s a lovely little formula called the small-angle approximation that relates the two. —

Phil Plait, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2026 But the story Sorkin relates is really all about the insiders, their privileged lives, their thoughts and actions. —

The Know, Denver Post, 11 Jan. 2026 Meanwhile, the omniscient, just-the-facts-ma’am narration relates the days and times and events with an efficiency that speaks to us of the unstoppable nature of fate. —

Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025 The Fund has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the SEC for the offering to which this communication relates. —

Muyao Shen, Bloomberg, 30 Dec. 2025 Nest New York delivers on the sort of scent profile that relates holiday cheer with pomegranate, mandarin orange, pine, cloves, and cinnamon with a hint of vanilla and amber, and at 25% off. —

Nashia Baker, Architectural Digest, 1 Dec. 2025 There is a buildup that the president has not explained in a way that relates solely to the actions that are currently going down in the Caribbean and with respect to the drug trade that the president has been discussing with Congress. —

CBS News, 30 Nov. 2025 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relates

Verb

Gonzalez describes him as serious, pensive, charming and easy to like.

— Vanessa Murdock, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
That plan describes a roadway overmatched by the Treasure Valley’s western spread — what was essentially a rural highway to market now swallowed by cities.

— Mark Dee March 17, Idaho Statesman, 17 Mar. 2026