rely on/upon

phrasal verb

relied on/upon; relying on/upon; relies on/upon

1

: to need (someone or something) for support, help, etc. : to depend on (someone or something)

My mother relied on me for financial support.

They rely on a well for all their water.

2

: to trust or believe (someone or something)

She's someone you can rely on.

I relied heavily upon your advice.

You could always rely on him to disagree.

3

: to expect (something) with confidence : to be certain that (something) will happen or exist

The economy may improve next year, but it's not something you can rely on.

Examples of rely on/upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Competitors will have to rely on their intuition, tactical vision, and calculating abilities. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 5 Jan. 2025

Many are nonprofits that rely on federal funding, including $650 million under one program last year alone. —Valerie Gonzalez, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2025

The Dolphins will likely have to rely on Duck to help limit the Adams-Wilson pair. —Pierre Taylor, Miami Herald, 4 Jan. 2025

The incoming Trump Administration may wish to rely on those holdings in implementing its regulatory reform strategy. —Alden Abbott, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025