- 1 [countable] the way in which two people, groups or countries behave towards each other or deal with each other relationship (between A and B) The relationship between the police and the local community has improved. relationship (with somebody) She has a very close relationship with her sister. I have established a good working relationship with my boss. a master-servant relationship see also love-hate relationship Wordfinderallyaccord, ally, bilateral, cross-border, diplomat, embassy, international, rapprochement, relationship, treaty Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivefriendly, good, happy, … verb + relationshipenjoy, have, begin, … relationship + verbexist, deepen, develop, … relationship + noundifficulties, problems, breakdown, … prepositionin a/the relationship, relationship among, relationship between, … phrasesthe breakdown of a relationship, a network of relationships, a web of relationships, … See full entry See related entries: International relations
- 2 [countable] relationship (between A and B) | relationship (with somebody) a loving and/or sexual friendship between two people Their affair did not develop into a lasting relationship. She's had a series of miserable relationships. Are you in a relationship? Money problems have put a strain on their relationship. Wordfinderloveaffair, date, go out with somebody, jealous, love, marriage, partner, passionate, relationship, romantic Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivefriendly, good, happy, … verb + relationshipenjoy, have, begin, … relationship + verbexist, deepen, develop, … relationship + noundifficulties, problems, breakdown, … prepositionin a/the relationship, relationship among, relationship between, … phrasesthe breakdown of a relationship, a network of relationships, a web of relationships, … See full entry
- 3 [countable, uncountable] the way in which two or more things are connected relationship (between A and B) the relationship between mental and physical health relationship (to something) This comment bore no relationship to the subject of our conversation. People alter their voices in relationship to background noise. an inverse relationship Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveclose, direct, clear, … verb + relationshipbear, have, analyze, … relationship + verbexist, emerge prepositionin a/the relationship, relationship among, relationship between, … phrasesthe nature of the relationship, stand in a… relationship to something See full entry
- 4 [countable, uncountable] the way in which a person is related to somebody else in a family a father-son relationship relationship between A and B I'm not sure of the exact relationship between them—I think they're cousins. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveblood, family, kin, … prepositionrelationship between, relationship to See full entry Extra examples A clear relationship emerged in the study between happiness and level of education. At the moment he isn’t in a relationship. Britain’s special relationship with the US Building strong relationships is essential. He claimed to have a distant relationship with royalty. He had brief relationships with several women. He was not married, but he was in a stable relationship. He’s not very good at handling personal relationships. His latest book examines the relationship between spatial awareness and mathematical ability. I can’t see the relationship between the figures and the diagram. I tried everything to make our relationship work. In normal human relationships there has to be some give and take. Lack of trust destroys many relationships. No statistically significant relationship existed between the occurrences. Our research will explore the relationships among these variables. She broke off the relationship when she found out about his gambling. Some people think only about themselves, even in family relationships. The different varieties of the language are in a dynamic relationship with each other. The fee bears little relationship to the service provided. The focus is on relationships among European countries. The play is about power relationships at work. The school has a very good relationship with the community. Their relationship has always been a stormy one. There’s a close relationship between increased money supply and inflation. They discovered a relationship between depression and lack of sunlight. They enjoyed a close working relationship. They established a relationship of trust. They have a very healthy father-son relationship. We want to improve the relationship that exists between the university and industry. What relationship are you to Pat? Women and men stand in a different relationship to language. the inverse relationship between gas consumption and air temperature the relationship of a parasite to its host the symbiotic relationship between corals and algae their relationship to each other I’m not sure of the exact relationship between them—I think they’re cousins. She has a love-hate relationship with her job. She’s had a series of miserable relationships. There is an inverse relationship between disability and social contact. a father-son/mother-daughter relationship
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