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 Jennifer Pierce, another Central High parent, spoke to the suggestion that JCPS students could rely on the city's public transit system. Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 21 Mar. 2024 It’s gotten 500,000 rental units to report rent payments so that those renters can rely on their rent payment history—rather than only a credit score—as proof of their qualifications to buy. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 20 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 Unable to rely on university grants like most scientists, the Ilkley Clean River Group had to raise the money to pay for professional water sampling themselves. Andrew Kersley, WIRED, 19 Mar. 2024 Coparents need to rely on therapy or supportive adults in their lives to work through those feelings and not express them to the children, Mazur said. Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 During those votes, Johnson has had to rely on House Democrats' votes to prevent shutdowns -- something that landed his predecessor Kevin McCarthy in hot water with the party and contributed to his ouster last year. Lauren Peller, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2024 Some practical problems can arise, as most HOAs rely on their manager to handle the administrative part of board meetings and often to keep the minutes of those meetings. Kelly G. Richardson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 In clinical settings, there’s a strong tendency to rely on categories to quickly make judgments about an individual and what their particular risk factors, biological characteristics, or other characteristics might be. Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 15 Mar. 2024

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

Dictionary Entries Near 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 28 Mar. 2024.

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