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
John Milton3
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
Arnold Bennett
Synonyms
- hang
- hinge
- ride
- turn
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
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 Around the country, some local commuter rail lines also depend on tracks owned by the big freight railroads. David Koenig, Chron, 15 Sep. 2022 Around the country, some local commuter rail lines also depend on tracks owned by the big freight railroads. David Koenig, ajc, 14 Sep. 2022 Around the country, some local commuter rail lines also depend on tracks owned by the big freight railroads. David Koenig, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2022 And many factories depend on rail to get those parts and supplies, as well as to ship them out. Chris Isidore, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022 All the Yuma area irrigation districts depend entirely on Colorado River water to nourish their crops. The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Sep. 2022 Security measures depend on what information is at stake. Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2022 Multinational companies depend on Chinese demand for a range of goods from commodities to smartphones to coffee for profit growth. Hardika Singh, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 Prices for storage batteries depend on the type of chemistry involved, but most residential solar systems use lithium ion batteries, which can cost around $8,000 to $12,000 each, according to Solar Reviews. Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 4 Sep. 2022 See More
David Koenig, Chron, 15 Sep. 2022 Around the country, some local commuter rail lines also depend on tracks owned by the big freight railroads. David Koenig, ajc, 14 Sep. 2022 Around the country, some local commuter rail lines also depend on tracks owned by the big freight railroads. David Koenig, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Sep. 2022 And many factories depend on rail to get those parts and supplies, as well as to ship them out. Chris Isidore, CNN, 14 Sep. 2022 All the Yuma area irrigation districts depend entirely on Colorado River water to nourish their crops. The Salt Lake Tribune, 13 Sep. 2022 Security measures depend on what information is at stake. Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2022 Multinational companies depend on Chinese demand for a range of goods from commodities to smartphones to coffee for profit growth. Hardika Singh, WSJ, 7 Sep. 2022 Prices for storage batteries depend on the type of chemistry involved, but most residential solar systems use lithium ion batteries, which can cost around $8,000 to $12,000 each, according to Solar Reviews. Ron Hurtibise, Sun Sentinel, 4 Sep. 2022 See More 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
Kids Definition
depend
verb
de·pend di-ˈpend
depended; depending
: to be subject to determination by the situation
Are you going to the party? I don't know. It depends.
depend
verb
1
as in to base
to be determined by, based on, or subject (to) whether or not we play baseball will depend on how much rain we get Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- base
- turn
- hinge
- rest
- found
- hang
- establish
- ride
- stay
- ground
2
as in to rely
to place reliance or trust I know I can always depend on you for help when I really need it Synonyms & Similar Words
- rely
- count
- stand on
- lean
- bank on
- call upon
- calculate
- trust
- look to
- call on
- reckon
- figure on
- entrust
- confide
- intrust
- commit
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- suspect
- question
- distrust
- mistrust