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

Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students, and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country. —Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 4 May 2025

Instead, Sweden will rely on a trio of Samuel Ersson, Arvid Soderblom and Arvid Holm. —Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 3 May 2025

The inability to rely on more reserves and the energy required to mount a comeback during a warm afternoon might have been too much. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2025

Policymakers within the agency rely on ORD science to design rules to protect Americans from pollution. —Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 2 May 2025