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
Relevance
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 human body constantly generates heat and relies on mechanisms like sweating and temperature gradients to maintain a safe core temperature.
—
Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 7 Aug. 2025
The mom of two said she's been relying on her bereavement nurse to help her through this difficult time and took a vacation with her partner and kids to get some space from the situation.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The theme relies on bold texture and color combinations give apparel heirloom qualities.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 6 Aug. 2025
For years, organizations relied on outdated tools built for a different era.
—Kara Dennison, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rely
Bryant Stamford, The Courier-Journal, 7 Aug. 2025
The mom of two said she's been relying on her bereavement nurse to help her through this difficult time and took a vacation with her partner and kids to get some space from the situation.
—Hannah Sacks, People.com, 7 Aug. 2025
The theme relies on bold texture and color combinations give apparel heirloom qualities.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 6 Aug. 2025
For years, organizations relied on outdated tools built for a different era.
—Kara Dennison, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rely
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rely
Verb
-
There's a few other factors outside of that depending on finish from there.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Aug. 2025
-
This raises questions about the potential impact of these changes on the accuracy and reliability of the data that businesses and policymakers depend on.—
,
CNBC,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Ives runs the Wedbush AI Revolution ETF, which counts Palantir among its top holdings.—
Chloe Taylor,
CNBC,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Today, 120 billion births have already happened, counting back to the beginning of humanity as a species, and including the births of the 8 billion people alive today.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rely.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rely. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share