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Definition of rely on phrasal verb from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

 

rely on

 phrasal verb
phrasal verb
 
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AWL Collocationsrelyrely verbto need something or someone and not be able to live or work well without it/him/her
  • heavily
  • entirely, exclusively, solely
  • mainly, mostly, primarily, principally
  • extensively
The author relies heavily on the primary sources of the literature.
  • tend to
Larger volume commercial fruit and vegetable growers tend to rely on migrant labor to harvest crops.reliability noun
  • ascertain, assess, evaluate
  • improve
  • ensure
  • maximize
To ensure the reliability of the experiments, all experiments were repeated two to three times.
  • a degree of ~
  • a level of ~
Higher-accuracy instruments provide increased levels of reliability and confidence.reliable adjective
  • scientifically, statistically
  • highly
  • fairly, reasonably, sufficiently
The data set used is too small to yield statistically reliable conclusions.
  • indicator, predictor
  • estimate
  • source
The authors conclude that consumer credit is one of the most reliable indicators of an advanced civilization.
  • prove
Tall buildings soak up radio waves, so landline communications might prove more reliable.unreliable adjective
  • inherently, intrinsically
  • notoriously
  • demonstrably
  • wholly
  • potentially
  • statistically
Forecasters are notoriously unreliable at predicting things like the next wave of technological change. These models were statistically unreliable because of the very small sample sizes.
  • render something
Technical difficulties in the design of experiments render data unreliable.
  • prove
Prior efforts to identify this disorder proved unreliable and expensive.reliance noun
  • place
  • question
  • decrease, lessen, reduce
  • necessitate
  • preclude
  • entail
These findings suggest that new industries lessen reliance on agriculture.
  • excessive, heavy, inordinate, undue
  • exclusive
The almost exclusive reliance on memoirs and letters tells us how strongly the biographical element dominates Frank's work.Phrasal Verbs

    rely on/upon somebody/something

     
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  1. 1to need or depend on someone or something As babies, we rely entirely on others for food. rely on/upon somebody/something to do something These days we rely heavily on computers to organize our work. rely on/upon somebody/something doing something The industry relies on the price of raw materials remaining low.
  2. 2to trust or have faith in someone or something You should rely on your own judgment. rely on/upon somebody/something to do something You can rely on me to keep your secret. He can't be relied on to tell the truth. Thesaurustrust
    • depend on somebody/something
    • rely on somebody/something
    • count on somebody/something
    • believe in somebody
    These words all mean to believe that someone or something will do what you hope or expect of them, or that what someone tells you is correct or true.
    • trust to believe that someone is good, honest, sincere, etc. and that they will do what you expect of them or do the right thing; to believe that something is true or correct:You can trust me not to tell anyone. Don't trust what you read in the newspapers!
    • depend on/upon somebody/something (often used with can/cannot/could/could not) to trust someone or something to do what you expect or want, to do the right thing, or to be true or correct:He was the sort of person you could depend on. I can't depend on my own strength ever since I got sick.
    • rely on/upon somebody/something (used especially with can/cannot/could/could not and should/should not) to trust someone or something to do what you expect or want, or to be honest, correct, or good enough:Can I rely on you to keep this secret? You can't rely on any data you get from them.
    trust, depend, or rely on/upon somebody/something?
    • You can trust someone's judgment or advice, but not their support. You can depend on someone's support, judgment, or advice. Rely on/upon somebody/something is used especially with you can/could or you should to give advice or a promise:I don't really rely on his judgment. You can't really rely on his judgment.
    • count on somebody/something (often used with can/cannot/could/could not) to be sure that someone will do what you need them to do, or that something will happen as you want it to happen:I'm counting on you to help me. We can't count on the weather.
    • believe in somebody to feel that you can trust someone and/or that they will be successful:They need a leader they can believe in.
    Patterns
    • to trust/depend on/rely on/count on somebody/something to do something
    • to trust/believe in somebody/something
    • to trust/depend on/rely on/count on somebody's advice/judgment
    • to depend on/rely on/count on somebody's support
    • to trust/depend on/rely on/believe in somebody/something completely
See rely on in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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