as in depends
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
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Recent Examples of relies
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has its own navy that also relies on smaller vessels to do swarm attacks and drop mines.
—
ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
My direct experience as a managing partner in a VC firm suggests that startups and venture firms would be particularly hit as their deal-sourcing often relies on tech transfer offices.
—Tomas J. Philipson, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
In many cases, the scam relies on urgency and emotion, encouraging people to donate quickly before verifying the organization.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Instead, Iran relies on missiles, drones and layered defenses.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026
At the top of the range, the system relies on a comprehensive suite of 27 sensors and delivers up to 560 TOPS of computing power, giving it the capacity to process large volumes of real-time data from its surroundings.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
Trump’s diplomatic approach is chaotic and relies on forging a reality that may – or may not – actually gain traction with the facts on the ground.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
What Miro Uskokovic, owner of Hani’s bakery, relies on most are his trusty sheet pans.
—Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Mario Tama/Getty Images A snow drought of this magnitude has the power to disrupt fundamental aspects of life in the West, where the population relies on snowpack for roughly 75% of its water supply, multiple experts told CBS News.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
My direct experience as a managing partner in a VC firm suggests that startups and venture firms would be particularly hit as their deal-sourcing often relies on tech transfer offices.
—Tomas J. Philipson, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
In many cases, the scam relies on urgency and emotion, encouraging people to donate quickly before verifying the organization.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 28 Mar. 2026
Instead, Iran relies on missiles, drones and layered defenses.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 28 Mar. 2026
At the top of the range, the system relies on a comprehensive suite of 27 sensors and delivers up to 560 TOPS of computing power, giving it the capacity to process large volumes of real-time data from its surroundings.
—Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 28 Mar. 2026
Trump’s diplomatic approach is chaotic and relies on forging a reality that may – or may not – actually gain traction with the facts on the ground.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 27 Mar. 2026
What Miro Uskokovic, owner of Hani’s bakery, relies on most are his trusty sheet pans.
—Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Mario Tama/Getty Images A snow drought of this magnitude has the power to disrupt fundamental aspects of life in the West, where the population relies on snowpack for roughly 75% of its water supply, multiple experts told CBS News.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relies
Verb
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Whether gold coins are better than gold bars depends on your priorities.—
Sharon Wu,
USA Today,
25 Mar. 2026
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That’s especially powerful when millions, or even billions, of dollars are at stake, and when approval depends on staying in the government’s good graces.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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One text counts for one vote, and viewers can send up to 10 texts per contestant.—
Heather Bushman,
IndyStar,
31 Mar. 2026
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Yes, our heroine is Mary Bennet, she of the off-key singing voice and affinity for vibe-killing piano concertos, a young woman who doesn’t care that men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses and counts a day of being ignored by her family as a lucky escape from being mocked.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relies. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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