dependent

American  

[dih-pen-duhnt] / dɪˈpɛn dənt /

Or dependant

adjective

1. relying on someone or something else for aid, support, etc.

2. conditioned or determined by something else; contingent.

   Our trip is dependent on the weather.

3. subordinate; subject.

   a dependent territory.

4. Grammar. not used in isolation; used only in connection with other forms. In I walked out when the bell rang, when the bell rang is a dependent clause.

5. hanging down; pendent.

6. Mathematics.

   1. (of a variable) having values determined by one or more independent variables.

   2. (of an equation) having solutions that are identical to those of another equation or to those of a set of equations.

7. Statistics. (of an event or a value) not statistically independent.

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noun

dependents plural

1. a person who depends on or needs someone or something for aid, support, favor, etc.

2. a child, spouse, parent, or certain other relative to whom one contributes all or a major amount of necessary financial support.

   She listed two dependents on her income-tax form.

3. Archaic. a subordinate part.

dependent British  

/ dɪˈpɛndənt /

adjective

1. depending on a person or thing for aid, support, life, etc

2. (postpositive; foll by on or upon) influenced or conditioned (by); contingent (on)

3. subordinate; subject

   a dependent prince

4. obsolete hanging down

5. maths

   1. (of a variable) having a value depending on that assumed by a related independent variable

   2. (of a linear equation) having every solution as a solution of one or more given linear equations

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noun

1. grammar an element in a phrase or clause that is not the governor

2. a variant spelling (esp US) of dependant

Commonly Confused

See dependant

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• overdependent
  adjective
• predependent
  adjective
• quasi-dependent
  adjective
• self-dependent
  adjective
• semidependent
  adjective
• undependent
  adjective
• dependantly
  adverb
• dependently
  adverb
• quasi-dependently
  adverb
• self-dependently
  adverb
• semidependently
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• dependents
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dependent

First recorded in 1375–1425, dependent is from the late Middle English word dependaunt. See depend, -ent

Explanation

Being dependent means relying on something. Many people are dependent on coffee in the morning, while a dependent is someone who relies on you for financial support. In grammar-land, a dependent clause can’t stand alone because it’s a fragment. Dependent comes from pendant, the French word for "hanging.” If you break your leg, you will be dependent, or hanging, on crutches to get around. Kids are dependents of their parents, since they rely on them for food and shelter. A drug addict is dependent on drugs. And if a decision is dependent on your mood, that means it depends on or will be decided by how you feel.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dependent dependents

"If that business disappears, we will lose the ability for primary steel production in our country, we will become entirely dependent on global supply."

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

“Your paycheck, career, health insurance and retirement savings may already depend on the company, so a large employer-stock position can make your financial security dependent on that same company as well.”

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

“A country much more dependent on China, much more connected to China, much more looking up to China as a model and as a source of modernity.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

“From the beginning, I made clear that my support for the temporary activation was dependent on a robust community engagement process,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

We were utterly dependent on this man, who was not only deluded and ignorant, but incompetent in every way.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt

The mother, Yadira, applied for asylum and listed Wilber, who was 15 at the time, and his younger sister, as dependents of her case.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Household expenses vary greatly by size, and the amount of emergency reserves needed may look different, depending on how many incomes there are, how secure their jobs are and whether there are dependents.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

Zalewski said his government was prepared to build infrastructure to house new troops and their dependents so the American units could be permanently stationed in Poland.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

They include most overseas students being restricted from bringing family members to the UK and care workers being restricted from bringing dependents with them.

From BBC ● May 21, 2026

“Yeah, Dad, the Marine Corps spares no expense on those I.D. photographs. It must cost them at least a nickel for every million dependents they take pictures of,” Ben said.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• defenseless
• poor
• reliant
• vulnerable