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to connect with people

to connect with people

16 3.5
Make others feel understood and build a friendly relationship
  • phrasal verb
translation icon : conectar con la gente
  • And how we can connect with people even if we disagree with people.
  • a way to connect with people

And how we can connect with people even if we disagree with people.

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Examples

  • We connect with people and ideas through mentoring, team teaching, leading, and acting as a safety net.

    Academic text (2011)
  • People long to connect with people.

    Academic text (2014)
  • So think about how you can connect with people and relax.

  • We're here to connect with people in love.

  • Or maybe I connect with people that are similar to me.

  • My mission is simple: to connect with people and to help them.

    Blog text (21)
  • Yet it's also more satisfying because that is where you truly connect with people.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • His easygoing personality enables him to connect with people and find new opportunities when they become available.

    Academic text (2012)
  • I recently made the transition to an entrepreneur, so connecting with people has become my full-time job.

    Blog text (31)
  • In our seminar, we learned various techniques to connect with people during networking events.

Synonyms

to connect
vsto connect with people
572 1.8

Build a friendly relationship with someone by talking or listening

focuses on creating rapport, understanding, or ongoing relationship rather than just contact
to get along
vsto connect with people
  • US
529 1.9

Have a friendly relationship with someone

is broader, emphasizing building understanding and emotional rapport too
to interact
vsto connect with people
293 2.7

To talk and act with people or things so you affect each other

targets forming relationship and rapport, not only mutual action
to relate
vsto connect with people
283 2.8

To understand and share the feelings of someone

stresses building rapport and ongoing relationship more than simple identification
to connect with
vsto connect with people
236 3.2

To feel close to someone and understood by them

emphasizes building rapport or understanding across people rather than only emotion
to associate
vsto connect with people
222 3.3

To spend time with a particular group of people

focuses on creating understanding or rapport rather than just social company
to bond
vsto connect with people
149 2.9

To form a close relationship with someone

is wider, including both close emotional bonds and lighter rapport
to get on
vsto connect with people
  • UK
136 2.0

Have a friendly relationship with someone

is broader, including understanding or emotional rapport beyond friendliness
to make friends
vsto connect with people
134 1.0

Begin to be friendly with someone

includes broader rapport and understanding beyond making friends
to get along with
vsto connect with people
  • US
119 2.0

Have a friendly relationship with someone

focuses more on forming rapport and deep understanding rather than just harmony
to make contact
vsto connect with people
113 2.8

To get in touch with someone after a time without talking

is about creating ongoing rapport and relationship beyond initial contact
to socialize
vsto connect with people
  • US
68 2.8

To meet and spend time with other people

is more about establishing mutual understanding and lasting rapport from interaction
to bond with
vsto connect with people
68 3.7

To form a close, trusting relationship with someone, like a friend or pet

covers forming understanding or rapport more generally, not only deep trust
to network
vsto connect with people
20 3.7

Make work contacts by talking to people

focuses on forming emotional rapport and personal understanding as well as contacts
to get on with
vsto connect with people
  • UK
15 2.7

Have a friendly relationship with someone

is about establishing rapport or understanding, not only everyday friendliness
to network with
vsto connect with people
7 4.1

To meet and talk to people to build work contacts

is broader, covering personal rapport and understanding beyond professional aims
to vibe with
vsto connect with people
  • Informal
1 8.3

Feel a natural connection with someone or something

is broader, covering deliberate relationship building as well as natural rapport
to cultivate good relationships
vsto connect with people
3.5

To build and keep friendly, trusting connections with other people

is similar but also covers spontaneous, nonintentional rapport
to link-up
vsto connect with people
  • Informal
3.7

To meet another person or group briefly and informally

emphasizes building understanding and lasting rapport rather than short meetings

Antonyms

123 6.7

To make someone feel alone and lose support from others

How Connected

to get along with
  • US
119 2.0
to make friends
134 1.0
to connect with people
16 3.5
to talk
1.0
to meet
1.0

Surface Forms

connect with people infinitive
connected with people past participle
connecting with people present participle
connects with people third person singular

Morphology

connect + with + people

The meaning 'to establish a relationship, understanding, or rapport with other people' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'connect' (establish contact or rapport) with the preposition 'with' and 'people' (other persons). This verb + preposition + noun composition is literal and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words will readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Connect with people paints a simple picture: imagine connect as joining two wires or building a small bridge between people. When you make that bridge, you understand them and feel close, so it means 'to start a relationship or understanding'.