rely on/upon
phrasal verbrelied on/upon; relying on/upon; relies on/upon
Definition of rely 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.
Comments on rely on/upon
What made you want to look up rely on/upon? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Farm Idioms Quiz
- What does 'poke' refer to in the expression 'pig in a poke'?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share rely on/upon