RELY ON

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rely on mean? 

• RELY ON (verb)
  The verb RELY ON has 2 senses:

1. put trust in with confidence

2. be dependent on, as for support or maintenance

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• RELY ON (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put trust in with confidence

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

depend on; depend upon; rely on; rely upon

Context example:

you can rely on his discretion

Sentence frames:

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be dependent on, as for support or maintenance

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Synonyms:

depend on; rely on

Context example:

elderly parents often depend on their adult children

Sentence frames:

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

 Context examples 

You feel that you have no longer any friend to whom you can speak with unreserve, on whose regard you can place dependence, or whose counsel, in any difficulty, you could rely on.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

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)

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

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

But older stars have used up most of their hydrogen and must rely on heavier fuels that don't last as long, leading to rapid deterioration.

(NASA Team Probes Peculiar Age-Defying Star, NASA)

Meanwhile, one should not rely on the apparently cellular or “biological” aspect of a structure, because it could have an abiotic origin.

(Place discovered on earth with no microbial life, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Now, we've only one man to rely on.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Integrins do not themselves possess a kinase domain or enzymatic activity but rely on association with other signaling molecules to transmit signals.

(Integrin Signaling Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

As the method doesn’t rely on any cell-surface proteins expressed by tumor cells, it can be applied to virtually all cancers.

(Isolated cancer cells may lead to personalized treatments, NIH)

Many such devices rely on color changes to report a result, but they often aren't very sensitive.

(New Type of Battery Created from Paper, Fueled by Bacteria, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Scientists think their findings prove animal intelligence doesn't always have to rely on a larger number of neurons.

(Scientists Discover Bees Can Count Using Only Four Brain Cells, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)