depend
Americanverb (used without object)
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depends,
present (3rd person singular)
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depended,
past participle, past
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depending
present participle
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to rely; place trust (usually followed by on orupon ).
You may depend on the accuracy of the report.
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to rely for support, maintenance, help, etc. (usually followed by on orupon ).
Children depend on their parents.
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to be conditioned or contingent (usually followed by on orupon ).
His success here depends upon effort and ability.
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to be undetermined or pending.
I may go to Europe or I may not, it all depends.
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Grammar. (of a word or other linguistic form) to be subordinate to another linguistic form in the same construction; to form a part of a construction other than the head.
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to hang down; be suspended (usually followed byfrom ).
The chandelier depends from the ceiling of the ballroom.
verb
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to put trust (in); rely (on); be sure (of)
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to be influenced or determined (by); be resultant (from)
whether you come or not depends on what father says
it all depends on you
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to rely (on) for income, support, etc
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rare (foll by from) to hang down; be suspended
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to be undecided or pending
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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dependsimple
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dependssimple
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have dependedperfect
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has dependedperfect
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am dependingprogressive
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are dependingprogressive
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is dependingprogressive
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have been dependingperfect progressive
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has been dependingperfect progressive
Past
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dependedsimple
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had dependedperfect
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was dependingprogressive
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were dependingprogressive
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had been dependingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of depend
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English dependen, from Old French dependre, from Latin dēpendere “to hang down,” from dē- de- + pendere “to hang”
Explanation
To depend is to have confidence in something or someone. You can depend on your most loyal friend to show up for your modern dance performance in the park (although you probably can't depend on her liking it). Depend can also mean "determined by or contingent on something else." For example, if rain is in the forecast, your outdoor dance performance may be cancelled; it depends on the weather. Depend is almost always followed by the word on or upon, with upon being more formal. If you're speaking informally, you may drop the on or upon, as in "It all depends how you feel." Your decision to do that will, of course, depend upon your audience.
Vocabulary lists containing depend
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act III
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Sarah, Plain and Tall
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"How Do We Use Water?"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Much will depend on the duration of the unfolding energy shock and how it propagates through the economy – including any signs of second-round effects,” they say.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026
The future of the neoclouds also depend on their ability to keep borrowing, which gets more expensive as interest rates rise.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Beyond health care itself, the economies of small rural towns depend on hospitals, which boost employment and help raise living standards, said Kasey Millar, who works at a non-profit organization.
From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026
Internet infrastructure, transportation systems, social media platforms, and artificial intelligence applications all depend on analyzing complicated webs of interconnected information.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Not at all,” was her answer; “but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
In the UK, Sunjay Versani of Duncan Lewis Solicitors says it depends on the circumstances.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
This depends on a mix of "pipeline imports, storage facilities, LNG imports, infrastructure and demand," a spokeswoman told AFP, adding that the agency considered the risks of shortages to be low.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
The future of Israel now depends on its Arab citizens and on the attitude of its Jewish citizens toward its Arab ones.
From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026
This response depends on a specialized type of wood called tension wood.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 1, 2026
“If I can come again, we are still to have our ball. My father depends on it. Do not forget your engagement.”
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Since the move, she has lost the work she depended on.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
We once depended on our noses to tell us whether food was fresh, whether something was burning or whether a tannery lay up ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
But the pleasure depended on a temporary arrangement, one in which somebody else’s home had been made available for my enjoyment, and in which I understood that eventually I’d have to hand it back.
From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026
The researchers confirmed that the compound's ability to reduce inflammation, slow abnormal cell proliferation, and encourage apoptosis depended on its influence over ACOT1, the arachidonic acid pathway, and the downstream JAK-STAT/PI3K-AKT signaling pathways.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
Theodoric’s analysis depended partly on examining rainbow-like images that he encountered in daily life: in the spray thrown up by a turning water-wheel, in the drops of dew on a spider’s web.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
The scientists could also examine how the outcome changed depending on whether the oxygen nuclei collided directly or merely grazed one another.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
Lantratova later posted a video on social media from the town, saying people were given the chance to form two groups depending on whether they wanted to be taken to Russian-controlled territory or to Ukraine.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
“The combination of persistent inflation pressures and robust consumption should keep further monetary tightening on the agenda, with the December and February meetings potentially in play depending on incoming inflation data.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
“This building feels different depending on the direction or pace of your approach,” said Julie Smith-Clementi .
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026
The amount varies depending on the prices of oil but in recent years has usually amounted to a few thousand dollars.
From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
