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depend

depends; depended; depending

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.

Definitions of depend
  1. verb
    be contingent upon (something that is elided)
    “That depends
    see moresee less
    types:
    hang by a hair, hang by a thread
    depend on a small thing or be at risk
    type of:
    be
    have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)
  2. verb
    have faith or confidence in
    Depend on your family in times of crisis”
    synonyms: bet, calculate, count, look, reckon
    see moresee less
    type of:
    bank, rely, swear, trust
    have confidence or faith in
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘depend'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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