rest on/upon

phrasal verb

rested on/upon; resting on/upon; rests on/upon

1

: to depend or rely on (someone or something)

All our hopes rested on one man.

2

: to stop moving and look at (someone or something)

His eyes/gaze rested on the letter.

3

: to be based on (something)

His theory rested upon two important pieces of evidence.

Examples of rest on/upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For a moment, Lalo Schifrin’s irresistible theme is a distant memory, and the fate of humanity really does seem to rest on the shoulders of the most unreachable man on the planet. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 21 May 2025

And though he’s hit his marker for claiming the world’s largest hotel gin collection, Bullock doesn’t seem to want to rest on his laurels. —Adam Morganstern, Forbes.com, 15 May 2025

The base of the mountains now rest upon the Earth’s mantle, the layer beneath the planet’s crust. —Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 13 May 2025

Guardiola is never one to rest on his tactical laurels, and the return of Haaland could lead to another tweak in light of Glasner’s comments. —Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 12 May 2025