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:
Grant: Great careers used to hinge on ability, and now they depend on agility.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
Many existing technologies for steering or modulating light depend on changing the electronic properties of a material.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Successful tactics depend on a team's quality - and Marseille's forwards were excellent finishers who thrived in space.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Once that child was born, their parental rights should not depend on whether West agrees with the medical decisions they make or whether she wants custody of the child.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“Quite right, sir. I may then depend upon this child being received as a pupil at Lowood, and there being trained in conformity to her position and prospects?”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
How frequently those bonds form depends partly on temperature.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
Treatment for the health issue can vary and depends upon the severity of tissue damage and the cause.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Because of its significant car manufacturing, Michigan depends heavily on cross-border supply chains with Canada and Mexico.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The investment implication of Crill’s analysis depends on whether you are a long-term investor or a shorter-term stock-market timer.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
After a drawn-out series of death throes—the precise sequence of events depends, again, on the mass of the star—the star’s fusion engine fails, and the star begins to collapse under its own gravity.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
He noted that while other neoclouds have depended on convertible-debt offerings and customer prepayments, “CoreWeave has been using primarily straight debt.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
For many years, and to an extent far greater than any other country, the U.S. military has depended on assets in space.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
Earlier Floquet-based techniques have generally depended on slower processes involving many repeated driving cycles.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 11, 2026
It was a strange marriage between the studios, which needed the support of the magazines, and the magazines, whose existence depended on the success and goodwill of the industry.”
From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026
If it weren’t for the fact that the island of MidPass, hundreds of Midfolk, and the spirit of my dead best friend depended on me, I would’ve called it a night.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Unlike big G, little g changes depending on where you are.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026
“Yields could rise further, depending on future rate hikes and crude price dynamics,” he says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
And it will shift depending on how one reacts, as there are multiple endings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Premiums vary depending on your age, health, benefit amount, inflation protection and other features.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026
Have I gone from depending on one person to depending on another?
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
