Lean and Rely

Lean

Lean verb - To place reliance or trust.
Usage example: you can always lean on me if you need help

Rely is a synonym for lean in feeling topic. In some cases you can use "Rely" instead a verb "Lean", when it comes to topics like lay, count, depend.

Nearby Words: leaning, leaned, leanness, leant

Rely

Rely verb - To place reliance or trust.
Usage example: rigorously tested the rope before starting out, for the rock climbers would be relying on it with their very lives

Lean is a synonym for rely in lay topic. You can use "Lean" instead a verb "Rely", if it concerns topics such as have confidence in, be dependent.

Nearby Words: reliable, relying, relied

Common collocations

wall lean wall rely wall
way lean way rely way
bit lean bit rely bit
less lean less rely less
Other words: version.

Both words in one sentence

  • Living Emotional Crutch In chapter 19 she asked him if he could be the one she could lean on and rely on.
  • Series / The Wire Carcetti almost always has to choose between the two; though he would rather lean on Norman's side in a morally conscious stance, the struggles of the Mayoral office make Carcetti have to rely on Steintorf's more morally gray position.
  • Spoof Aesop Although, Aunt Wu herself seemed to lean towards the Screw Destiny theme, and as for don't rely heavily on another person, the entire village was involved in stopping the lava, even if Aang did save the day.
    Source: Spoof Aesop
Cite this Source
Rely and Lean. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/lean/rely
Lean & Rely. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/lean/rely>.
Rely or Lean. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/lean/rely.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "lean" and "rely" have occurred on timeline