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

That misstep forced the company to rely on an experimental NASA payload, which happened to be on board, for navigational support to reach the lunar surface. —Jackie Wattles, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025

In a workplace where collaboration is essential, professionals must rely on trust, empathy, and open communication to succeed. —Tony Gambill, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Housing advocates and local housing officials say DOGE could reduce the agency’s staff by as much as 50%, leaving the 4 million low-income American families, like the Bentleys, who rely on federal funding to keep a roof over their heads, worried about how that could affect their lives. —Laura Strickler, NBC News, 6 Mar. 2025

While many runners rely on the lottery, Corrigan knew there was another way to secure a spot in the race. —Majd Al-Waheidi, NPR, 6 Mar. 2025