depended; depending; depends
1
: to be determined, based, or contingent (see contingent entry 1 sense 1)
life depends on food
the value of Y depends on X
2
: to be pending or undecided
matters of greatest moment were depending—
John Milton
John Milton3
a
: to place reliance or trust
you can depend on me
b
: to be dependent especially for financial support
Her family depends on her paycheck.
still depends on his parents
4
: to hang down
a star was depending from his neck—Arnold Bennett
Arnold BennettExamples of depend in a Sentence
whether or not we play baseball will depend on how much rain we get
I know I can always depend on you for help when I really need it.
Recent Examples on the Web
The number of showings depends on the voyage length.
—Nathan Diller, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
However, accessibility largely depends on policy, and tuition typically ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 a year.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
G4Free Wide-leg Lounge Pants These minimalist wide-leg pants from G4Free have a simple silhouette that can be easily dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
The future of American democracy might depend on it.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
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Nathan Diller, USA Today, 29 Sep. 2025
However, accessibility largely depends on policy, and tuition typically ranges from $5,000 to $10,000 a year.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Sep. 2025
G4Free Wide-leg Lounge Pants These minimalist wide-leg pants from G4Free have a simple silhouette that can be easily dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 28 Sep. 2025
The future of American democracy might depend on it.
—Michael Luo, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depend
Cite this Entry
“Depend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depend. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
depend
verb
de·pend
di-ˈpend 
1
: to be determined by or based on
success of the picnic will depend on the weather
2
: trust entry 2 sense 1a, rely
a person you can depend on
3
: to rely for support
children depend on their parents
4
: to hang down
a vine depending from a tree
Etymology
Middle English dependen "to exist or result from some other condition," from early French dependre (same meaning), derived from Latin dependēre "to hang down, hang from," from de- "from, down" and pendēre "to hang" — related to pendulum, perpendicular
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