depended; depending; depends
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 BennettExamples 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
Even with a small population, Fisicaro said, Colma depends on diverse revenue streams to support its residents and the thousands of daily visitors who pass through town.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Currently, there are over 130 million bits of debris orbiting the Earth, depending on how small an object is counted as debris.
—David Szondy
october 26, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2025
Aluminum siding should be repainted every five to 10 years, depending on the durability of the paint.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
Treatment depends on the cause.
—Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depend
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Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
Currently, there are over 130 million bits of debris orbiting the Earth, depending on how small an object is counted as debris.
—David Szondy
october 26, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2025
Aluminum siding should be repainted every five to 10 years, depending on the durability of the paint.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 26 Oct. 2025
Treatment depends on the cause.
—Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for depend
Cite this Entry
“Depend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depend. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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