RELY (relied)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: relied   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rely mean? 

• RELY (verb)
  The verb RELY has 1 sense:

1. have faith or confidence in

  Familiarity information: RELY used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• RELY (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they rely    ... he / she / it relies   
Past simple: relied   
Past participle: relied   
-ing form: relying   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Have faith or confidence in

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

bank; bet; calculate; count; depend; look; reckon; rely; swear

Context example:

Depend on your family in times of crisis

Hypernyms (to "rely" is one way to...):

trust (have confidence or faith in)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

reliance (certainty based on past experience)

reliance (the state of relying on something)

reliant (relying on another for support)

 Context examples 

That is all, Mr. Holmes, and I am sure that I can rely upon your discretion and that of your friend.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The study of cell surface markers on tumor cells which can be recognized by antibodies, and the development of diagnostic reagents or therapeutic strategies which rely upon immune recognition.

(Immunooncology, NCI Thesaurus)

“You may rely upon my doing all that I can.”

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As with other immune cells, the immune function and differentiation of monocytes rely on communication with other cells through cell surface proteins.

(Monocyte Phagocytosis and Adhesion Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

Are coals to be relied upon?

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

A process that removes water or volatile solvents from a bed of solids by relying on absorption of heat radiation by those solvents.

(Flash Drying Method, NCI Thesaurus)

To make up for that, you need to rely on a partner to provide that warmth, enthusiasm, and support.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

Scientists often rely on magnetic fields to measure planets' rotation rates.

(Scientists Finally Know What Time It Is on Saturn, NASA)

Despite their difficulties, they both appeared to cope with these challenges by relying heavily on vision and other senses.

(“Sixth sense” may be more than just a feeling, NIH)

Just like people, plants rely on the daily rhythms of day and night to function.

(Sunflowers move from east to west, and back, by the clock, NSF)