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

Organizers will likely rely on more buses – at least 200 – to shuttle visitors, as well as the aid of rental cars, ride-share and taxi companies. —Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 29 Jan. 2025

In addition to traditional single-leg balance training, exercises that rely on an unstable surface, such as a stability ball or even a paper plate sliding on the floor to create instability, can help improve your balance, core strength and coordination. —Dana Santas, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025

This shutdown impacted critical services such as claims processing, payments and data sharing, which many healthcare providers rely on. —Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 29 Jan. 2025

These chaos cuts jeopardize resources that millions of Americans rely on. —Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025