depend

verb de·pend \ di-ˈpend \

|Updated on: 11 Aug 2018

Examples: depend in a Sentence

Definition of depend

intransitive verb

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

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

Kelly’s success will depend on his ability to recruit in a city that features another powerhouse in rival USC.

— matt murschel, OrlandoSentinel.com, "New coach Chip Kelly’s UCLA Bruins are No. 45 in 2018 preseason college football rankings," 13 July 2018
Our success in navigating the many challenges ahead will depend heavily on who is leading the charge.

— alexi nazem, STAT, "Health care needs more physician CEOs like Atul Gawande," 13 July 2018
Theatrical breakout potential for Volcano will depend on astute marketing, but timely political subtext and an Oscar-friendly track record should help.

— stephen dalton, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Volcano': Film Review | Karlovy Vary 2018," 13 July 2018
The dosage depends on the concentration in the bottle and product.

— karen pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Six things you might be asking about hemp," 13 July 2018
Net The quality of the grasp depends on a few things.

— matt simon, WIRED, "Robots Can't Hold Stuff Very Well. But You Can Help," 13 July 2018
Residents can pay $60 a year to obtain a second trash container, and a second recycling container can be requested at no extra charge, depending on their availability, according to the ordinance.

— david anderson, The Aegis, "Aberdeen council adopts new trash pickup ordinance," 12 July 2018
Superintendent searches can range anywhere from 12-14 weeks, depending on the needs of the district, according to Steve Highlen, an executive search consultant with the Arizona School Boards Association.

— lorraine longhi, azcentral, "Here's who is leading Scottsdale schools in the wake of controversy," 12 July 2018
But the paths to acquiring talent are limited, and the Royals’ success depends on maximizing each.

— sam mellinger, kansascity, "The State of the Royals, Part 1 of 2: How did they get here?," 12 July 2018

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

depend Synonyms

Phrases

bank on, call on (or upon), figure on, look to, stand on;

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.