ENGLISH
REFERENCE

rely on sb/sth

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to trust or depend on someone or something to help you or do what you expect.

phr. v.. to depend on with full trust or confidence; to be dependent on something as a necessity for success or survival.


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.

Particles
on
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
rely + on + object
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'.

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