From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishrely on/upon somebody/something phrasal verb1 DEPEND ON/RELY ONto trust or depend on someone or something to do what you need or expect them to do → reliable, reliance I knew I could rely on David.rely on somebody/something to do something Many working women rely on relatives to help take care of their children. for Many people now rely on the Internet for news.2 DEPEND ON/RELY ONto depend on something in order to continue to live or exist The company relies heavily on only a few contracts. for They have to rely on the river for their water. → rely→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
rely on/upon • Schools are increasingly relying on money from parents to provide decent stocks of books, government inspectors report today.• Fortunately there is no need to rely on occupation alone to assess social and economic status.• Private hospitals not owned by Bupa are reckoned to rely on patients who are insured by Bupa for half their business.• N. tribunal lacks its own police and must rely on states to arrest those it has indicted.• He must even rely upon the carpenter to make him a new a leg.• When Elvis was new to the starting job, the 49ers used him carefully, relying on the run, protecting him.• The more that companies support athletes, the less sportsmen will have to rely on the state.• The inspector general, relying upon the testimony of white citizens, recommended that the whole unit be given dishonorable discharges.rely on somebody/something to do something• Cureton would surely do better to rely on syntax to determine rhythmic grouping at this level.• They too rely on the wind to distribute their pollen.• Some months ago, they stopped relying on human operators to do so.• They no longer rely on outside air to fill the bladder, but have special glands for manufacturing gas.• In reality this is inaudible under water so don't rely on it to give you a reminder.• Students rely on the pictures to help them understand.• We rely on professionals to solve problems, not families and communities.• Many of us rely on our children to teach us as we go along.relies heavily• This second approach relies heavily on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.• In writing his sweeping historical overview of the region, Shoumatoff relies heavily on other published histories.• The bike also relies heavily on race-proven aerodynamics.• The Guild receives financial aid from the Council, and relies heavily on the enthusiasm and dedication of its members.• Of these, the involvement of governors in the curriculum relies heavily on the guidance and initiative of the head.• It relies heavily on the mathematical implications of quantum theory.• Fontana's treatment relies heavily on the use of Fourier transforms, is very theoretical and mentions few applications.• In doing so, he relies heavily on the work of ethno-botanist and psychedelic frontiersman Terence McKenna. 