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

The Farm Animal Confinement Initiative required that any pork sold in the state must come from a farm that allows breeding pigs at least 24 square feet of room including the Iowa provider Price used to rely on, which was cheaper than buying from farms in California. —Wire Report, The Mercury News, 9 Feb. 2025

Instead, artists rely on the exposure to boost music sales, streaming numbers, and future touring revenue. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 9 Feb. 2025

Millions of people around the world rely on life-saving aid from USAID. —ABC News, 9 Feb. 2025

Cutting budgets would be one of few options for the districts, many of which already rely on operating fund referendums to be taxpayer-approved to continue transportation and other student services. —Carole Carlson, Chicago Tribune, 8 Feb. 2025