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 rest of the Patriots’ season will probably depend more on how Maye continues to play, but this was an impressive performance from the team’s defense.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Waukesha County has likewise struggled to maintain services, which in that case involves costs tied to the service of more than three dozen communities — many of which depend on the county's sheriff's department for law enforcement.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
While cornering, the wing adjusts its tilt angle depending on speed, generating downforce.
—Stephen Treffinger, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2025
The specific steps that partners of compulsive gamblers might take to mitigate and prevent financial damage will depend on their family’s circumstances.
—Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depend
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
Waukesha County has likewise struggled to maintain services, which in that case involves costs tied to the service of more than three dozen communities — many of which depend on the county's sheriff's department for law enforcement.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
While cornering, the wing adjusts its tilt angle depending on speed, generating downforce.
—Stephen Treffinger, Robb Report, 5 Oct. 2025
The specific steps that partners of compulsive gamblers might take to mitigate and prevent financial damage will depend on their family’s circumstances.
—Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 5 Oct. 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 7 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share