From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcount on/upon somebody/something phrasal verb1 DEPEND ON/RELY ONto depend on someone or something, especially in a difficult situation You can count on me. With luck, you might cover your costs, but don’t count on it.count on (somebody/something) doing something We’re all counting on winning this contract. They were counting on him not coming out of hospital.count on somebody/something to do something You can count on Dean to ruin any party.2 EXPECTto expect something The presence of Paula was one thing he hadn’t counted on.count on (somebody/something) doing something We didn’t count on so many people being on vacation. → count→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
count on/upon • More generally, the logistical strengths that the Dole campaign had counted on began to come good.• In the north, the party can count on fairly widespread support.• If she could only count on her shot tonight.• Will there be a power struggle between Parks and the business side in their presentations to Willes? Count on it.• They are counting on Lebed growing impatient and making mistakes that alienate public opinion.• A majority of twenty-two when we had counted on sixty as a minimum.• In fact, Angel One was counting on this factor making his opponent confident of defeating him.• Finally comes settlement, but don't count on this to pay your accounts at the end of the month.count on somebody/something to do something• More generally, the logistical strengths that the Dole campaign had counted on began to come good.• The 49ers are counting on Deese to epitomize that professionalism as he goes about his business with Smith.• Agouron is counting on Viracept sales to finance development of several other products, including a cancer drug now in clinical trials.• At the time he was not counting on a schoolteacher to floor him by marrying his only daughter, his only child.• You can count on him to get the work done on time.• He's probably counting on family connections to get you on the cheap!• I said I would count on him to give some of the money to Abigail and Gary.• You always count on him to make plays.• But of course it was easy to be indifferent about them herself when she could count on Helen to spruce things up.count on (somebody/something) doing something• For most of his pastorate, Jim could count on Father Ed Dougherty to articulate the opposing view.• Le Carre can always be counted on to deliver a good read.• The White House seems to be counting on this.• They are also counting on $ 10 million in tax increment financing via the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency.• We are too impertinent with the past, counting on it in this way for a reliable frisson.• With luck, you might cover your costs but don't count on it.• You've got to understand that we can't count on the Shah any more.• You can count on Laura Linney, but not on the mundane script. 