ENGLISH
REFERENCE

relied

v.
B1 Intermediate US //ɹiˈɫaɪd// UK //ɹɪlˈaɪd// re·lied

v. depended on someone or something to help you or to work correctly. You use this when you need a person or a tool to get a job done.

v. depended on someone or something with full trust or confidence. The past tense and past participle of 'rely'; it is intransitive and requires a prepositional complement.


SIMPLE

She relied on her alarm clock to wake up.

CONTEXTUAL

The small village relied on the weekly delivery truck for all its fresh produce and medicine.

COMPLEX

Historically, the local economy relied almost exclusively on the textile mill, so its closure led to a period of significant financial instability for the residents.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Usage

Intransitive; almost always followed by the preposition 'on' or 'upon'.

Pitfall

they relied their parentsthey relied on their parentsRelied is an intransitive verb and cannot take a direct object; it must be followed by the preposition 'on'.

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