A relationship is a connection between people that involves how they interact, communicate, and feel about each other. You have relationships with your parents, siblings, teachers, classmates, and friends. Each relationship is different: the way you talk with your best friend differs from how you interact with your soccer coach or your grandmother.

Relationships take effort to maintain. Strong relationships grow when people listen to each other, show they care, and work through disagreements respectfully. Weak relationships can fade when people stop making time for each other or when trust breaks down. You might notice that your friendship with someone from elementary school feels less close after you switch schools and stop seeing them regularly.

The word can describe any kind of connection. Scientists study the relationship between sleep and school performance. Mathematicians look for relationships between numbers. But most often, when people talk about relationships, they mean the personal bonds we form with others: friendships, family connections, or the link between teammates working toward a goal together.