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 chief judge’s probation officers do not have arrest powers and would need to rely on local police or the county sheriff to take potential violators into custody.
—
A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
While most dams rely on spillways shaped like chutes or shafts to drain the overage, the dam at Lake Berryessa uses a funnel-like spillway due to lack of space, per local news outlet The Press Democrat.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Filling the air with radio noise, the Ukrainians and Russians could force each other to rely on precision bombs that don’t need to talk to satellites.
—David Axe, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
More news: Charles Barkley Takes Shocking Side in LeBron James, Stephen A Smith Feud
Milwaukee is going to rely on Antetokounmpo even more without Lillard, and this game against the Knicks is crucial.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rely on/upon
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A.d. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
While most dams rely on spillways shaped like chutes or shafts to drain the overage, the dam at Lake Berryessa uses a funnel-like spillway due to lack of space, per local news outlet The Press Democrat.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 29 Mar. 2025
Filling the air with radio noise, the Ukrainians and Russians could force each other to rely on precision bombs that don’t need to talk to satellites.
—David Axe, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025
More news: Charles Barkley Takes Shocking Side in LeBron James, Stephen A Smith Feud
Milwaukee is going to rely on Antetokounmpo even more without Lillard, and this game against the Knicks is crucial.
—Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rely on/upon
Cite this Entry
“Rely on/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rely%20on%2Fupon. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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