relied; relying
1
: to be dependent
the system on which we rely for water
2
: to have confidence based on experience
someone you can rely on
Examples of rely in a Sentence
rigorously tested the rope before starting out, for the rock climbers would be relying on it with their very lives
Recent Examples on the Web
For years, organizations relied on outdated tools built for a different era.
—
Kara Dennison, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Oliver Wing et al., 2022 In recent years, the rise of climate risk analytics models and private flood risk data have allowed the real estate, finance and insurance industries to rely less on FEMA's maps.
—Jeremy Porter, CBS News, 14 July 2025
For the past three years, New York City beaches have relied on drones to detect sharks and riptides, and now the gizmos are being used to drop flotation devices on swimmers in trouble.
—Henry Alford, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Much of it filters down from Black communities; much of it is used to trick content moderation filters; and much of it relies on an underlying comedy.
—Adam Aleksic, People.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rely
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Kara Dennison, Forbes.com, 14 July 2025
Oliver Wing et al., 2022 In recent years, the rise of climate risk analytics models and private flood risk data have allowed the real estate, finance and insurance industries to rely less on FEMA's maps.
—Jeremy Porter, CBS News, 14 July 2025
For the past three years, New York City beaches have relied on drones to detect sharks and riptides, and now the gizmos are being used to drop flotation devices on swimmers in trouble.
—Henry Alford, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Much of it filters down from Black communities; much of it is used to trick content moderation filters; and much of it relies on an underlying comedy.
—Adam Aleksic, People.com, 14 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rely
Cite this Entry
“Rely.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rely. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rely
verb
re·ly
ri-ˈlī 
relied; relying
1
: to have confidence based on experience
someone you can rely on
2
: to be dependent
the system on which we rely for water
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