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 Bennett
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 affordable ones, relative to floor seating, were generally scattered along the terrace, with prices ranging from that $2,920 low to nearly $5,000 depending on the seller and their location.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2025
But some leases are likely profitable, depending on where those doors are located.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2025
But the attorney reportedly nominated to lead the Trump EPA’s air pollution efforts is a friend of the industry that depends on the chemical.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025
Sailings can cost $1,100 to $10,000, depending on the length of time and luxury of the boat.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for depend 
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Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2025
But some leases are likely profitable, depending on where those doors are located.
—Vicki M. Young, Sourcing Journal, 6 Feb. 2025
But the attorney reportedly nominated to lead the Trump EPA’s air pollution efforts is a friend of the industry that depends on the chemical.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 5 Feb. 2025
Sailings can cost $1,100 to $10,000, depending on the length of time and luxury of the boat.
—Marla Jo Fisher, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025
See all Example Sentences for depend
Dictionary Entries Near depend
Cite this Entry
“Depend.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/depend. Accessed 10 Feb. 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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