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

The company's help center notes that people should not rely on Gemini for financial advice. —Rachel Barber, USA Today, 22 Aug. 2025

When teams rely on individual knowledge, outdated spreadsheets or inconsistent methods, errors multiply and oversight disappears. —Shagun Malhotra, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2025

The move combined Alaska's Mileage Plan with Hawaiian Airlines' HawaiianMiles into Atmos Rewards and added a $395 annual-fee Visa Infinite card aimed at high-spend travelers, signaling a strategic shift toward premium revenue streams that many carriers rely on to boost profits. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025

However, laser displays typically rely on complex, bulky optical systems to deliver laser light precisely where it is needed on screens. —IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2025