Phrasal verb
rely on sb/sth
Definition
phrasal verb. to trust or depend on someone or something to help you or do what you expect.
phrasal verb. to depend on with full trust or confidence; to be dependent on something as a necessity for success or survival.
Examples
“You can always rely on him to arrive on time.”
“Many elderly people in this village rely on the local bus service to get to the shops.”
“The success of the entire project relies on the seamless integration of the new software with our existing legacy systems.”
Examples
simple
“You can always rely on him to arrive on time.”
contextual
“Many elderly people in this village rely on the local bus service to get to the shops.”
complex
“The success of the entire project relies on the seamless integration of the new software with our existing legacy systems.”
Usage
often followed by a person, a piece of equipment, or a specific result.
Teaching tip
contrast with 'depend on'; while often interchangeable, 'rely' carries a stronger sense of trust and active expectation of reliability.
Pitfall
It relies of the weather.
It relies on the weather.
the verb 'rely' must be followed by the preposition 'on', never 'of' or 'from'.
Phrasal verb
Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
rely + on + object