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:
Engine oil is used in equipment ranging from lawn mowers and passenger cars to jet engines, so industries depend on a steady supply of the materials used to make lubricants.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
AI’s effect on the economy and monetary policy will depend on a wide range of unknowns concerning which sorts of firm prove most profitable, how AI affects employment, and other factors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Many of those living near the plants also depend on them for work.
From Barron's ● Aug. 28, 2026
A lot will depend on how you use the tool, what questions you ask and whether you verify the sources used and double-check the findings.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026
In the latter case, their status is weaker and more dangerous, since they depend entirely upon the will of those citizens who are appointed as magistrates.
From "The Prince" by Niccolò Machiavelli
College could work out slightly cheaper in Canada, but that depends on financial aid.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026
Well that depends on which calendar you follow.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Whether you can buy a house at a discount depends on location.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
"Our findings show that hydrogen production depends not only on the amount of magnetite present, but also on how easily water can access fresh mineral surfaces through fractures, pores and permeable pathways."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 29, 2026
“That depends on what you think it is.”
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Parton's influence and success depended in part on her role as one of the few things on which Americans could agree.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Many wild places historically depended on fires to maintain their ecosystems, and as people have continued to build farther into those places, they have, with great success, suppressed those blazes, Frievalt said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
“I was running around, constantly trying to pump out videos like my life depended on it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Additional targets were hit in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates—also part of the supply chain that the Navy had depended on for decades.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
When I came in he threw himself on his knees before me and implored me to let him have a cat; that his salvation depended upon it.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
“You’re starting to see much more nuanced activity around individual names depending on the individual business model, rather than systemic buying or selling of an entire category.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 30, 2026
“One person’s line may be completely different than someone else’s,” Pillow says and can change depending on the context and where the person is mentally.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
This could be different every week depending on different activities, but Radice stresses there should be a plan in advance so it's not left to the last minute.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Researchers found that the cotton underwear broke down at very different speeds depending on where it was buried.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 28, 2026
“And this would be your home base. Where I work. We could see each other at least one week a year, more depending on the package your mom chooses.”
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
