1. depend on with full trust or confidence: "I know I can rely on your discretion"Similardependcountbankplace reliancebargainplanreckonanticipateexpectpin one's hopes onhope fortake for grantedtake on trusttrustbe confident ofhave (every) confidence inbe sure ofbelieve inhave faith inpin one's faith ontrust incling toswear byinformal:figure onOppositedistrust
▪ be dependent on:"the charity has to rely entirely on public donations"Similarbe dependentdependleanhingeturnhangrestpivotbe contingentbe unable to manage withouthave recourse toresort tofall back on
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French relier ‘bind together’, from Latin religare, from re- (expressing intensive force) + ligare ‘bind’. The original sense was ‘gather together’, later ‘turn to, associate with’, whence ‘depend upon with confidence’.
