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 Each and every item relates in some way to the novel’s storyline, yet miraculously, many of the objects were sourced before the book was even written. — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026 Holland’s Spider-Man relates more personally to everyone — friends and foes — than any other superhero; his scenes with the Punisher (Jon Bernthal), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Det. — Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 4 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for relates

Verb

The mop-haired actor plays Joey, a spunky boy onboard who bonds with Maddie over having absent parents in the military.

— Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026
Nigel Starck, too, argues that obituaries provide a glue that bonds society not in grief but in an aspirational reevaluation of our own lives.

— Sam Roberts, Longreads, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of bonds

Verb

Human Intelligence As Spec The Knowing markets itself as 100% human intelligence, which Thomas describes as a business proposition rather than a moral one.

— Jasmine Browley, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Modern interpreters have read his 10 heads as signifying his vast knowledge of 10 sacred texts, or alternately his 10 ethical failings, but the Ramayana account describes him as 10-headed from birth.

— Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of describes

Verb

What being Southern meant to his father—and the values Duane associates with being a Southern gentleman.

— Sid Evans, Southern Living, 11 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of associates

Verb

Despite Bret’s passionate insistence that his classmate is a serial killer, Croft tells him Robert is a good kid from a good family and sends him back to class.

— Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026
The limited series tells the story of two sisters who go on the run after an act of vengeance goes wrong.

— Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of tells

Verb

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat warning that applies to more than 1 million people in San Diego County, mostly across inland valleys, foothills and mountains where high temperatures will approach or exceed 95 to 114 degrees.

— Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Aug. 2026
The new minimum applies to more than 50 unsolved homicides and missing-person cases in tribal communities.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of applies

Verb

The star, playing an unnamed Narrator, recruits audience members to help act out a story about grief, as her character recounts her mother’s depression and suicide attempts.

— Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
In the book, Finch recounts how a tumultuous childhood at the hands of an abusive adoptive mom led her to want to escape her homelife.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2026