as in to depend
to place reliance or trust rigorously tested the rope before starting out, for the rock climbers would be relying on it with their very lives

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rely The biggest data centers use systems that recycle heat for other uses or rely on water to stay cool without raising energy use. Lyssanoel Frater, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025 There will always be such corners of the Universe, because all of our theories rely on some assumptions, some approximations, and have some boundaries. Big Think, 29 Oct. 2025 While China is a leader in superconducting materials, the nation has long relied on costly and uncertain imports for the C276 substrates, as reported by Global Times. Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Oct. 2025 That's led Waller to rely more heavily on anecdotal reports from business contacts, which offers a mixed picture. Scott Horsley, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for rely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rely
Verb
  • The dress has an A-line silhouette with a skater skirt that falls around the knees (depending on your height, of course).
    Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Baker said the food bank serves 30,000 out of Yolo County’s 77,000 households — mostly families that depend for work on the agricultural industry, plus students and seniors.
    Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Writing for the 4-3 majority of the court, Justice Shawn Womack overturned a decision by 16th Judicial Circuit Judge Holly Meyer requiring the Cleburne County Clerk to count the signatures on the petition and certify the measure, which had initially been pushed for the 2024 election.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Follower counts across multiple platforms for his non-government account, @GavinNewsom, ballooned -- growing to more than 11 million followers collectively.
    Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Rely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rely. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.

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