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:
The environmental benefits of that approach depend heavily on where the electricity comes from.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
While the exact price would depend on the county, generally the homes would need to sell for between $1 million and $1.5 million.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Job duties depend on who you ask, but many say the remit includes building AI systems to automate marketing tasks and improving how companies show up in chatbot replies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Strategists at the bank said a rally at the end of the year would likely depend on oil prices lowering or stabilizing even as the historically best-performing quarter approaches.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
“I shall depend on hearing from you very often, Eliza.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
And Boeing depends on a small group of engineers with authorization to sign off on a plane’s airworthiness, a crucial step before delivery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
The average salary for a job in marketing is $68,000 a year — more than double that for the median than — I’m guessing, as it depends on the role — your six-figure tech job.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
The duration of the journey depends greatly on the distance between the ISS and the spacecraft at the time of launch.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
That depends on how many, if any, research projects lead to marketable treatments.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
“I suppose it depends on the buyer. I accept payments in coin, of course, but sometimes I get offers for a barter.”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The force said there was "no defined response" to welfare concerns and the appropriate pathway depended on the circumstances.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 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
The report concluded that private labels wouldn’t necessarily kill big legacy players, and that danger depended on the product and the country, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Maria says, “We depended on secondhand stores. Our mom wouldn’t buy us all kinds of things. She couldn’t do that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Such arguments depended on analogies: comparing the skin, for example, to porous earthenware.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
Two heirs can inherit equal gross amounts and walk away with very different net outcomes depending on which assets they receive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Bardella's defiance indicated that he hopes to ride out the crisis, with his future depending on whether Mediapart has more allegations in the pipeline and above all, Le Pen herself.
From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026
The speed limits on the roads between the two cities range from 45 mph to 75 mph depending on the stretch of road.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
The reaction from current members of the City squad varies depending on who you speak to.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
She felt she could not slow down because there were now too many people depending on her.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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.
