verb, -lat⋅ed, -lat⋅ing.| 1. | to tell; give an account of (an event, circumstance, etc.). |
| 2. | to bring into or establish association, connection, or relation: to relate events to probable causes. |
| 3. | to have reference (often fol. by to). |
| 4. | to have some relation (often fol. by to). |
| 5. | to establish a social or sympathetic relationship with a person or thing: two sisters unable to relate to each other. |
re·late (rĭ-lāt') v. re·lat·ed, re·lat·ing, re·lates v. tr.
[Obsolete French relater, from Old French, from Latin relātus, past participle of referre : re-, re- + lātus, brought; see telə- in Indo-European roots.] re·lat'a·ble adj., re·lat'er n. |