ENGLISH
REFERENCE

bank on

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to rely on something happening or to base your plans on it.

phr. v.. to depend on a specific occurrence or outcome with confidence; often used in the negative to warn against over-reliance on an uncertain event.


SIMPLE

I'm banking on the weather being sunny for our picnic.

CONTEXTUAL

You shouldn't bank on getting a promotion this year, as the company is cutting costs.

COMPLEX

The startup was banking on a massive influx of venture capital to sustain its operations through the third quarter.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
bank + on + object
Usage

usually followed by a noun phrase or a gerund (-ing form).

Teaching tip

connect the meaning to the idea of 'putting money in a bank' for security; contrast with 'count on' which is a very close synonym but slightly more common in daily speech.

Pitfall

I bank on that he will help.I am banking on him helping.this phrase is followed by a noun or a gerund, not a 'that' clause.

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