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

However, by prioritizing these criteria, organizations can rely on an application platform that not only addresses the immediate challenges of legacy modernization and application maintenance but also positions them for sustainable growth and innovation. —Steve Millidge, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Unlike traditional bilingual books, which print side-by-side translations that learners can rely on as a crutch, FabuLingua’s approach is purely auditory. —Kaitlyn Gomez, USA Today, 1 July 2025

In the past, auditors were forced to rely on sampling transactions, trying to apply more scrutiny to those that presented a bigger business risk. —Jeremy Kahn, Fortune, 1 July 2025

The Sportico Sports Stock Index is a basket of 40 stocks that rely on sports for a significant portion of future growth. —Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 1 July 2025