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Definition of relate verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

relate

verb
 
/rɪˈleɪt/
 
/rɪˈleɪt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they relate
 
/rɪˈleɪt/
 
/rɪˈleɪt/
he / she / it relates
 
/rɪˈleɪts/
 
/rɪˈleɪts/
past simple related
 
/rɪˈleɪtɪd/
 
/rɪˈleɪtɪd/
past participle related
 
/rɪˈleɪtɪd/
 
/rɪˈleɪtɪd/
-ing form relating
 
/rɪˈleɪtɪŋ/
 
/rɪˈleɪtɪŋ/
Phrasal Verbs
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  1. show or make a connection between two or more things synonym connect
    • relate something I found it difficult to relate the two ideas in my mind.
    • relate A to B In the future, pay increases will be related to productivity.
    • Attempts to relate studies on animals to those on humans are not really comparing like with like.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • closely
    • directly
    • specifically
    verb + relate
    • be able to
    • can
    • attempt to
    preposition
    • to
    phrases
    • the ability to relate to somebody/​something
    • an attempt to relate something
    See full entry
  2. (formal) to give a spoken or written report of something; to tell a story
    • relate something Then he related a story about his days working in a research laboratory.
    • She relates her childhood experiences in the first chapters.
    • relate something to somebody He related the facts of the case to journalists.
    • relate how, what, etc… She related how he had run away from home as a boy.
    • relate that… The story relates that an angel appeared and told him to sing.
    Extra Examples
    • An audio-visual presentation relates the story of the Battle of Hastings.
    • He related the whole conversation to the police.
  3. Word Originmid 16th cent.: from Latin relat- ‘brought back’, from the verb referre ‘carry back’, from re- ‘back’ + ferre ‘bring’.
See relate in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee relate in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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