Dictionary

rely en · VERB

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /ɹɪˈlaɪ/

Etymology

From Middle English relien, from Old French relier (“fasten, attach, rally, oblige”), from Latin religo (“fasten, bind fast”), from re- + ligo.

Meanings

1. (intransitive, qualifier:with on or upon; formerly also with in; with on or upon; formerly also with in) To trust; to have confidence in.
   • Hodgson also has Wayne Rooney to call on once he has served a two-match suspension at the start of the tournament - and it is abundantly clear England will rely as heavily as ever on his ability to shape the outcome of important games. 2012 May 26, Phil McNulty, “Norway 0-1 England”, in BBC Sport:
   • I relied on "George" and "Fred"—the autopilot and the flight director—to fly the airplane while I worked my way through […] 1993, Flying, volume 120, page 73:
   • Cookieless sessions enable you to take advantage of session state without relying on browser cookies. 2004, Stephen Walther, ASP.NET unleashed:
   • Shepard: You can't rely on anyone. Sounds harsh, but it's true. Shepard: It comes down to doing what you think is right--and damn everyone else. 2012, BioWare, Mass Effect 3, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel, Huerta Memorial Hospital, Visiting Ashley:
   • A “moving platform” scheme[…]is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays. 2013 June 1, “Ideas coming down the track”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8838, page 13 (Technology Quarterly):
2. (intransitive, qualifier:with on or upon) To depend; to be dependent upon.
   • The city relies on the subway system.
   • […] recall that birds that rely more on their legs for foraging tend to rely less on their wings, and vice versa. 2018, Michael L. Morrison, Amanda D. Rodewald, Gary Voelker, “Flight and Locomotion”, in Ornithology: Foundation, Analysis, and Application, page 299:
3. (intransitive, qualifier:with on or upon) To be intellectually contingent from; to stem from.
   • Parts I and IV of the Court's opinion, and Part III except insofar as it relies upon legislative history 1989, Antonin Scalia, Jett v. Dallas Independent School District:
4. (obsolete, transitive) To fasten, fix, attach
   • Therefore [they] must needs relye their faithe upon the sillie Ministers faithlesse fidelitie.
5. (obsolete, transitive) To bring together again; to rally.
   • Petrius, that was a noble knyght, and bolde and hardy, relied his peple a-boute hym,

Forms

Antonyms

stand on its own

Deriveds

rely upon · rely on · misrely · reliant · reliance · reliable · overrely

Relateds

oblige · liable

Synonyms

hang · lean · turn · depend · hinge · stay · rest · rely

Translations (53)

uk поклада́тися (rest with confidence) · ru рассчи́тывать (rest with confidence) · mnc ᠠᡴᡩᠠᠮᠪᡳ (rest with confidence) · alt иженер (rest with confidence) · sk spoliehať sa (rest with confidence) · sk opierať sa (rest with confidence) · de vertrauen (rest with confidence) · mi whirinaki (rest with confidence) · cmn 依賴 /依赖 (rest with confidence) · es atenerse (rest with confidence) · de sich verlassen (rest with confidence) · az bel bağlamaq (rest with confidence) · de abhängen (rest with confidence) · az güvənmək (rest with confidence) · mi whakamanawa (rest with confidence) · ko 의지(依支)하다 (rest with confidence) · fr compter sur (rest with confidence) · az arxalanmaq (rest with confidence) · ja 頼る (rest with confidence) · ga cuir muinín i (rest with confidence) · it basarsi (rest with confidence) · ba ышаныу (rest with confidence) · nl rekenen op (rest with confidence) · ja 頼む (rest with confidence) · pl polegać (rest with confidence) · hu megbízik (rest with confidence) · hu épít (rest with confidence) · ceb salig (rest with confidence) · cmn 依靠 (rest with confidence) · mi whakawhirinaki (rest with confidence) · ga bí ag brath ar (rest with confidence) · sv lita på (rest with confidence) · vi tin cậy (rest with confidence) · pl polegać na (rest with confidence) · hu hagyatkozik (rest with confidence) · bg осланям се (rest with confidence) · fi luottaa (rest with confidence) · hu számít (rest with confidence) · ga muinín a bheith agat as (rest with confidence) · pt contar com (rest with confidence) · ru полага́ться (rest with confidence) · ru положи́ться (rest with confidence) · hu bízik (rest with confidence) · cs spoléhat (rest with confidence) · uk розрахо́вувати (rest with confidence) · es fiarse (rest with confidence) · bg разчи́там (rest with confidence) · vi dựa vào (rest with confidence) · ca comptar amb (rest with confidence) · no lite på (rest with confidence) · ja あてにする (rest with confidence) · ar اِعْتَمَدَ (rest with confidence) · it fare affidamento (rest with confidence)