depend

verb

de·​pend di-ˈpend 

depended; depending; depends

intransitive verb

1

: to be determined, based, or contingent (see contingent entry 1 sense 1)

life depends on food

the value of Y depends on X

2

: to be pending or undecided

matters of greatest moment were depending

—John Milton

3

a

: to place reliance or trust

you can depend on me

b

: to be dependent especially for financial support

Her family depends on her paycheck.

still depends on his parents

4

: to hang down

a star was depending from his neck

—Arnold Bennett

Synonyms

• hang
• hinge
• ride
• turn

Examples of depend in a Sentence

whether or not we play baseball will depend on how much rain we get

I know I can always depend on you for help when I really need it.

Recent Examples on the Web

The future path of egg prices will depend on the administration's ability to get a grip on the bird flu crisis. —Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 May 2025

Astronauts depend on music, auditory cues and ambient feedback to stay focused and grounded. —Harshal Shah, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

One is not safer than the other—tolerance to the medications largely depends on the patient. —Julia Ries, Health, 13 May 2025

However, because of these strengths, their viability depends enormously upon what kind of data they have been trained on. —Maria Williams, USA Today, 13 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French dependre, modification of Latin dependēre, from de- + pendēre to hang — more at pendant

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing depend

• depend on/upon

Rhymes for depend

• amend
• append
• ascend
• attend
• backend
• befriend
• boyfriend
• commend
• compend
• contend
• defend
• descend

Kids Definition

depend

verb

de·​pend di-ˈpend 

1

: to be determined by or based on

success of the picnic will depend on the weather

2

: trust entry 2 sense 1a, rely

a person you can depend on

3

: to rely for support

children depend on their parents

4

: to hang down

a vine depending from a tree

Etymology

Middle English dependen "to exist or result from some other condition," from early French dependre (same meaning), derived from Latin dependēre "to hang down, hang from," from de- "from, down" and pendēre "to hang" — related to pendulum, perpendicular