1
as in communing
to form a close personal relationship
she and I relate so well it's almost like we're siblings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in describing
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
3
as in pertaining
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 associating
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
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Recent Examples of relating
Some of them are old systems of knowledge, ways of relating the body to fertility, death, and survival.
—
George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
The Pisces new moon creates opportunities for fulfillment through relating.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
In relating her story this way, Gisèle is restoring to the record her waking life.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Morello himself serves as kind of a guide in the film, relating his own love of metal growing up as a Black kid in a conservative, ethnically homogeneous suburb of Chicago.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
The collision of opposing perspectives forges art that challenges and confronts, that forces us out of familiar ways of thinking, relating and being.
—Richard P. Weigand, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Reps for both Harry and the King said that the pair met for tea at Clarence House, relating afterwards that no other details would be shared.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Even the oldest maxim about cab drivers and bell hops giving share prices was tested by relating an anecdote about comments in his village pub from locals and complete strangers firing questions at him and a fellow gold trader about the gold price.
—Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
This is a time which reminds us that relating is a skill.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 16 Dec. 2025
George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
The Pisces new moon creates opportunities for fulfillment through relating.
—Usa Today, USA Today, 18 Mar. 2026
In relating her story this way, Gisèle is restoring to the record her waking life.
—Gaby Wood, Vogue, 21 Feb. 2026
Morello himself serves as kind of a guide in the film, relating his own love of metal growing up as a Black kid in a conservative, ethnically homogeneous suburb of Chicago.
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2026
The collision of opposing perspectives forges art that challenges and confronts, that forces us out of familiar ways of thinking, relating and being.
—Richard P. Weigand, Rolling Stone, 30 Jan. 2026
Reps for both Harry and the King said that the pair met for tea at Clarence House, relating afterwards that no other details would be shared.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Even the oldest maxim about cab drivers and bell hops giving share prices was tested by relating an anecdote about comments in his village pub from locals and complete strangers firing questions at him and a fellow gold trader about the gold price.
—Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 27 Jan. 2026
This is a time which reminds us that relating is a skill.
—Colin Bedell, Them., 16 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relating
Verb
-
The team were meek in defeat, but after a weekend carousing and communing in central London, Newcastle fans arrived at Wembley with a collective hangover.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Jefferson Airplane communing in the Haight.—
Joe Hagan,
Vanity Fair,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
When describing his overall plan for ELL and emergent bilingual learning after staff cuts, Licata said those resources are not being spent in the right directions for students.—
Samuel O’Neal
Updated April 29,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
-
What the note was describing lay outside the perimeter.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN Money,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Seven months later, in November, Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which called for the Justice Department to make public all its files pertaining to Epstein.—
Julie K. Brown,
Miami Herald,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The company will also release data pertaining to a phase-three trial for its lupus drug litifilimab in the fourth quarter, which should also give Biogen stock more room to run.—
Liz Napolitano,
CNBC,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The British royal family seems to be trying really hard to distance itself from the Epstein scandal, and part of that involves the King and the major players not associating themselves with Andrew or Fergie again.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Each embedding — a way of associating each point on the sphere to a point within the flag variety — can be defined by a polynomial equation.—
Konstantin Kakaes,
Quanta Magazine,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sabini built his bike from scratch there while bonding with his close friends.—
Ashley Sharp,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Linh Mai has also been bonding with her mother and members of their herd.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Like Flores and Natal, Kaik found that the company, York Service & Towing, would only take cash, telling her that sometimes, people would pay with a credit card then cancel the card before payment went through.—
Ginny Monk,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Shortly after telling her to contact security, Alvarez arrived upstairs.—
Alex Gurley,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The review process is expected to take 18 months and is part of a two-step process, which also includes applying for an operating license.—
Pippa Stevens,
CNBC,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Girod noted that by applying for relief, Guerra Sandoval was giving the government all her personal information — even fingerprints.—
Ximena Bustillo,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Colombia’s Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences said specialists including dentists, anthropologists and forensic doctors are identifying the victims.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Residents identifying themselves as Democrats, who made up 48% of the polling sample, held a 44% favorable view of Johnson, while 35% viewed him unfavorably.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relating. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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