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rely

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verb British English pronunciation: rely /rɪˈlaɪ/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyrely
he/she/itrelies
present participlerelying
past tenserelied
past participlerelied

phrasal verb

rely on

[transitive]
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyrely on
he/she/itrelies on
present participlerelying on
past tenserelied on
past participlerelied on
  1. 1
    rely on someone/something to trust someone or something to do something for you

    My brother can help. At least we can rely on him.

    Sometimes you just have to rely on your own judgment.

    rely on someone/something to do something:

    Can we rely on him to support us?

  2. 2
    rely on something to need something in order to continue living, existing, or operating

    an industry that relies heavily on government contracts

    rely on something to do something:

    The museum relies on voluntary donations to keep open.

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