rely

verb

re·​ly ri-ˈlī How to pronounce rely (audio)
relied; relying

intransitive verb

1
: to be dependent
the system on which we rely for water
2
: to have confidence based on experience
someone you can rely on
relier noun

Examples of rely in a Sentence

rigorously tested the rope before starting out, for the rock climbers would be relying on it with their very lives
Recent Examples on the Web This can have devastating impacts on the thousands of fish, crabs and other marine species that rely on the reefs for refuge and food. Sabrina Weiss, WIRED, 20 Mar. 2024 His was an independent brand that didn’t rely on advertising to sell its goods. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Minimizing jitter is crucial for the wide range of technologies that rely on precise timekeeping. IEEE Spectrum, 19 Mar. 2024 Like a game, a chatbot requires user input to get going, and relies on continued interaction. Patrick House, The New Yorker, 19 Mar. 2024 Aplacental sharks do not have a placenta and their embryos rely on a yolk-sac or unfertilized egg capsules for nutrition, the Florida Museum of Natural History reports. Olivia Munson, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 Chartier has studied brackets since 2009, developing a method that largely relies on home/away records, performance in the second half of the season and the strength of schedule. James Pollard, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 Users will have the choice to pair those products with new networking chips — one that uses a proprietary InfiniBand standard and another that relies on the more common Ethernet protocol. Ian King, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2024 But in another part of the state, waste handlers are relying on older technology. Chloe Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rely.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English relien to rally, from Anglo-French relier to retie, gather, rally, from Latin religare to tie out of the way, from re- + ligare to tie — more at ligature

First Known Use

1574, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of rely was in 1574

Dictionary Entries Near rely

Cite this Entry

“Rely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rely. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

rely

verb
re·​ly ri-ˈlī How to pronounce rely (audio)
relied; relying
1
: to have confidence based on experience
someone you can rely on
2
: to be dependent
the system on which we rely for water

Legal Definition

rely

intransitive verb
re·​ly
relied; relying
: to depend with confidence : place faith

More from Merriam-Webster on rely

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!