depend

verb

de·​pend di-ˈpend 

depended; depending; depends

intransitive verb

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

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

Synonyms

• hang
• hinge
• ride
• turn

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 on the Web

The twice-annual time change is meant to add more daylight in the mornings and evenings, depending on the time of year and the Northern Hemisphere's position from the sun. —Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 27 Oct. 2024

The alternative, of course, until recently, was a system in which a coach could have a contract for a hundred million dollars—guaranteed, still paid out after his inevitable firing—while the star quarterback, upon whose arm all those millions depended, couldn’t sell a signature for a few bucks. —Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 27 Oct. 2024

Foragers make hundreds of decisions about flowers every day, and many other bees depend on those decisions. —Max G. Levy, WIRED, 27 Oct. 2024

Price depends on the color, style, and size, and most options are on sale right now. —Isabel Garcia, People.com, 26 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing depend

• depend on/upon

Kids 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