rely

American  

[ri-lahy] / rɪˈlaɪ /

verb (used without object)

relies, present (3rd person singular) relied, past participle, past relying present participle

1. to depend confidently; put trust in (usually followed by on orupon ).

   You can rely on her work.

   Synonyms:

   bank, count, trust

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rely British  

/ rɪˈlaɪ /

verb

1. to be dependent (on)

   he relies on his charm

2. to have trust or confidence (in)

   you can rely on us

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• relying
  present
• relied
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• rely
  simple
• relies
  simple
• have relied
  perfect
• has relied
  perfect
• am relying
  progressive
• are relying
  progressive
• is relying
  progressive
• have been relying
  perfect progressive
• has been relying
  perfect progressive

Past

• relied
  simple
• had relied
  perfect
• was relying
  progressive
• were relying
  progressive
• had been relying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will rely
  simple
• will have relied
  perfect
• will be relying
  progressive
• will have been relying
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of rely

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English relien, from Middle French relier, from Latin religāre “to bind fast, hold firmly”; see re-, ligament

Explanation

To rely is to have confidence in something. You might rely on staying in bed to make you feel better and rely on your friends to tell you everything you missed when you were sick. Rely is a lot like the word depend. If you rely on someone for help, you also depend on her. But rely is even more powerful! When you rely on someone, you have total faith and trust that she will come through. It comes from the Latin word religare which means "to fasten or bind." You're bound to the people you rely on!

Example Sentences

For the judge, the statements cancelled each other out, and he decided he could not rely on what Burrows said.

From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026

Mulan Build "sends a message: if these platforms choose to discriminate against us, we do not need to rely on them", she said.

From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026

“Unlike in states like Florida and Oklahoma, ICE can not rely on local state and county partners for detention space in California,” said the spokesperson, who did not provide their name in the emailed statement.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026

Western militaries tend to rely on hardware-heavy, platform-centric, campaign-oriented warfare.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 7, 2026

“I rely on them to clue me in. So I really would like to know why you feel this way.”

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman