relate

The word “relate” means to tell or describe an event or story. In plain terms, to connect something to something else, tell a story, or personally identify with someone's experience.

“Relate” is pronounced rih-LAYT (/ɹɪˈleɪt/ in IPA).

Here is “relate” used in a sentence: “He related the whole incident to the police in detail.”

Words with a similar meaning to “relate” include chronicle, describe, divulge, recount and state.

“Relate” is a verb.

The word “relate” comes from Latin. From Latin relatus, the past participle of referre, "to carry back or report." A doublet of "refer.".

“Relate” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.

“Relate” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to tell or describe an event or story.

On its own, "relate" means to tell or describe an event or story, as in "He related the whole adventure." "Relate to" means to be connected with something, or informally to identify and empathise with it, as in "I can relate to that feeling." The added preposition changes the meaning.

Both mean to tell a story or describe events. "Narrate" is more formal and suggests a structured, ongoing account, often of a film or book. "Relate" is a slightly more everyday word for recounting what happened.

Standard English uses "relate to," as in "how these ideas relate to each other" or "I relate to her situation." "Relate with" is not idiomatic in this sense and should be avoided.