rely

rely on

1. To be dependent on someone or something; to require someone or something for support or help. There are a lot of cities around the country that rely on the steel industry—if it collapses, so do their entire economies. You can't just rely on Jeff to pay your bills all the time. You need to get a job of your own.
2. To have trust or faith in someone or something; to believe that someone will do something or that something will happen. You can always rely on it to start raining sooner or later in this country. People who rely on the government to act in their best interests are naïve, foolish, or both. At this stage in my life, I really just want a romantic partner who will love me for who I am, and whom I know I can always rely on.
See also: on, rely

rely upon (someone or something)

1. To be dependent on someone or something; to require someone or something for support or help. (Slightly more formal and old-fashioned than the variant "rely on.") There are a lot of cities around the country that rely upon the steel industry—if it collapses, so do their entire economies. You can't just rely upon your parents to bail you out whenever you get into trouble.
2. To have trust or faith in someone or something; to believe that someone will do something or that something will happen. You can always rely upon the weather to turn foul whenever you plan something outdoors. People who rely upon the government to act in their best interests are naïve, foolish, or both. I just can't rely upon this computer to do what it's supposed to do.
See also: rely, upon
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

rely (up)on someone or something

to depend on someone or something; to trust in someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) I know I can rely upon you to do a good job. Can we rely on this old car to get us there?
See also: on, rely
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

rely on

v.
1. To be dependent upon something or someone for support, help, or supply: Some people still rely on coal to heat their houses. He relies on his parents for tuition.
2. To place trust or confidence in someone or something: He was relying on the meeting being canceled and didn't prepare his speech. I can always rely on her to get here on time.
See also: on, rely
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • be/have done with somebody/something
  • be in line with (someone or something)
  • better of
  • (someone or something) promises well
  • begin with
  • begin with (someone or something)
  • bird has flown, the
  • beware of
  • beware of (someone or something)
  • be rough on (someone or something)
References in periodicals archive
Although I am pleased with the evolution of my online classes over the past several semesters, I still encounter a few students every semester who rely heavily on me and express frustration when I am unable to answer their questions immediately.
Re-envisioning asynchronous communication
Although all health plan medical directors surveyed strive to use quality evidence to guide decision making, there was little consistency with respect to the sources they rely on, what constitutes "quality" evidence, how current the evidence is and what internal processes are used to be sure the evidence is up to date.
Unexplained clinical variance: are health plans (partly) responsible?
As a result, Internal Network Defense technology should never rely on one detection methodology to determine if the traffic in question constitutes an attack.
The threat from within: the evolution of cyber attacks
Thank-you to everyone we need, rely on, depend upon and turn to on a yearly basis to help us to continue to showcase, honour and applaud these incredible contributors to our region.
North's business leaders, innovators pushing the envelope
To be successful, executives must rely heavily on their ability to establish, cultivate, and manage meaningful human relationships.
Developing strategic competencies: a starting point; behaving, thinking, and becoming strategic is not easy, but it is critical for increasing your value to your organization. (CareerPath)
Unfortunately, both of these statements allow auditors to continue ignoring internal controls by choosing not to rely on them.
So long, traditional audit: no more "same as last year" with risk-based approach
"With this new offering in our line of mobile processors, AMD continues to deliver products that businesses and end users can rely on for performance, power efficiency, stability and compatibility.
AMD INTROS HIGHEST PERFORMING PROCESSOR FOR NOTEBOOK PCS
Both of these units rely on the Snipers for air combat training support.
VMFT-401: Adversary tactics experts; Therefore I say, know the enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles you will never be in peril"
Some of his material is universal--his trials with his family or his religion--while other aspects of his show rely on an exclusively gay spin.
Gay Comedy Without a Dress. (peformance review) (Funny that way: Comic Jason Stuart wears the pants on his hilarious new CD--and proves that gay guys can get laughs from all kinds of audiences without doing drag)
Industries and groups that rely on the improved spectral irradiance scale are aerospace, lighting, equipment manufacturers, other national measurement institutes, universities, and the precision measurement equipment laboratories (PMELs) for the Air Force, Navy, and Army.
IMPROVED SPECTRAL IRRADIANCE SCALE OFFERED BY NIST
They may be sued for fraud or gross negligence if the third party could be expected to rely on fraudulent financial statements.
Avoiding Accounting Malpractice
Philip's wife, Queen Margaret of Austria, successfully negotiated aid for her brothers the Archdukes Ferdinand and Leopold of Styria, used her religious patronage to strengthen her political influence, and pressured Philip to rely less on Lerma.
The Empress, the Queen, and the Nun: Women and Power at the Court of Philip III of Spain
Should we rely on accounting returns - ROA, ROI, ROE, ROS, and profit margin?
No return on independence
Not the least of these is whether to rely on a vendor of rehabilitative services or to hire in-house physical, occupational or speech therapists to attend to the therapy needs of residents.
Gearing up for rehab services under PPS
Other corporate interests rely on nuclear weapons indirectly, for nuclear weapons are the badge and holster of the U.S.
Bombs away