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
Given Luna’s lack of physical form, the system relies on human employees to operate the shop and interact with customers.
—
David Ingram, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026
The company relies on the US government for the largest share of its revenue, with contracts worth close to $900 million with the Pentagon last year, along with smaller contracts for ICE, as well as Treasury and other government agencies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Government.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The city relies on a nearly decade-old estimate of roughly $576,000 to remediate historic burn ash contamination on that alternative site.
—Charles Rilli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
Tillman relies on sources such as the late cartoonist Scott Adams, a prolific social-media poster known for endorsing conspiracy theories.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
In a field that relies on regularly sharing threat intelligence, that kind of collaboration is likely to win Anthropic some favor and could strengthen the company’s standing with enterprise customers.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
Barcelona’s attacking production right now relies heavily on the 18-year-old, who last night led the team in duels (16), successful take-ons (eight), possessions won (eight), fouls won (six) and chances created (three).
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Kuwait relies on desalination for 90% of its fresh water, with at least half a dozen plants operating to meet the need.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Even old, unused cables suddenly matter when every system—from transport to energy—relies on electricity.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026
David Ingram, NBC news, 11 Apr. 2026
The company relies on the US government for the largest share of its revenue, with contracts worth close to $900 million with the Pentagon last year, along with smaller contracts for ICE, as well as Treasury and other government agencies, according to data compiled by Bloomberg Government.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2026
The city relies on a nearly decade-old estimate of roughly $576,000 to remediate historic burn ash contamination on that alternative site.
—Charles Rilli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
Tillman relies on sources such as the late cartoonist Scott Adams, a prolific social-media poster known for endorsing conspiracy theories.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2026
In a field that relies on regularly sharing threat intelligence, that kind of collaboration is likely to win Anthropic some favor and could strengthen the company’s standing with enterprise customers.
—Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 10 Apr. 2026
Barcelona’s attacking production right now relies heavily on the 18-year-old, who last night led the team in duels (16), successful take-ons (eight), possessions won (eight), fouls won (six) and chances created (three).
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Kuwait relies on desalination for 90% of its fresh water, with at least half a dozen plants operating to meet the need.
—Lucia I Suarez Sang, CBS News, 3 Apr. 2026
Even old, unused cables suddenly matter when every system—from transport to energy—relies on electricity.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for relies
Verb
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The longer the strait remains closed, the deeper the energy crisis will cut, particularly across Asia, which depends heavily on Gulf oil exports.—
Desiree Adib,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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The firm revealed both configurations are designed to reduce acoustic signatures, a key requirement for anti-submarine warfare missions where detection depends heavily on sound profiles in the water.—
Sujita Sinha,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The schedule at 4 North is similar to other units in the jail, with inmate counts multiple times a day.—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
21 Apr. 2026
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One organization that already has it is the UK’s AI Security Institute, which has become the world’s top neutral arbiter of what counts as safe and secure AI.—
Parmy Olson,
Twin Cities,
18 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Relies.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/relies. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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