depend

verb de·pend \ di-ˈpend \

Definition of depend

intransitive verb

1 :to be determined, based, or contingent (see ¹contingent 4)

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

3 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

See depend defined for English-language learners

See depend defined for kids

Examples 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 of depend from the Web

Whether al-Werfalli is surrendered to the ICC will depend, above all, on the situation on the ground in Libya.

— mark kersten, Washington Post, "Will the International Criminal Court’s latest target in Libya be brought to justice?," 31 Aug. 2017
But in this homage — the restaurant’s name refers to Bologna’s soccer team’s colors — all depends on the sauce.

— patric kuh, Los Angeles Magazine, "What Makes the Bolognese Sauce at Rossoblu So Good?," 30 Aug. 2017
What will happen to the fire ant rafts in Texas will depend in part on how fast the waters recede.

— sarah zhang, The Atlantic, "Yes, That's a Huge Floating Mass of Live Fire Ants in Texas," 29 Aug. 2017
Understanding what lies ahead depends on whether natural variability or human influences win out.

— julia rosen, Science | AAAS, "Human influence may prolong ocean cycle that gave birth to Harvey," 29 Aug. 2017
Actually, depending on the crime, an inmate can be eligible for parole consideration after serving just 10 years.

— ivana hrynkiw, AL.com, "How long is life for Alabama inmates in prison? Not as long as you may think," 26 Aug. 2017
In fact, depending on their personality, girls may feel more comfortable talking to their dads than to their moms about certain sensitive issues.

— charlotte andersen, Redbook, "Fathers Have An Even Greater Influence on Daughters Than You May Realize," 22 Aug. 2017
Until this point, moving on in the competition has depended on how far or how fast the ninjas could go on the obstacle course.

— aaron randle, kansascity, "Watch: Local ninjas move up to ‘American Ninja Warrior’ national finals," 22 Aug. 2017
The administration’s credibility depends in large part on the service of these men.

— rich lowry, National Review, "Yes, Work for Trump," 22 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'depend.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of depend

Middle English, from Anglo-French dependre, modification of Latin dependēre, from de- + pendēre to hang — more at pendant

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First Known Use: 15th century

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depend Synonyms

Synonyms

hang, hinge, ride, turn

Related Words

base, establish, found, rest, stay; ground

Near Antonyms

distrust, mistrust, question, suspect

DEPEND Defined for English Language Learners

depend

verb

Definition of depend for English Language Learners

—used in speech in phrases like it depends and that depends to say that the answer to a question will be different in different situations

DEPEND Defined for Kids

depend

verb de·pend \ di-ˈpend \

Definition of depend for Students

depended; depending

:to be subject to determination by the situation

Are you going to the party? I don't know. It depends.

— depend on

1 :to rely for support

Children depend on their parents.

2 :to be determined by or based on a person, action, or condition

The people had been very proud … that victory or defeat depended on them.
—Theodore Taylor, The Cay

3 :¹trust 2, rely

You can depend on me to get the job done.

Word Root of depend

The Latin word pendere, meaning “to cause to hang down,” gives us the root pend. Words from the Latin pendere have something to do with hanging. To suspend is to cause something to hang down from a single point. To depend is to hang, or rely, on the support of others. A pendant is an ornament that hangs free, as on a necklace. A pendulum is an object hung from a point that swings freely back and forth, as in a clock.