de·pend
(dĭ-pĕnd́)
[Middle English dependen, to hang down, from Old French dependre, from Latin dēpendēre, dē-, de-, + pendēre, to hang.]
intransitive verb: -pend·ed, -pend·ing, -pends.
- To rely, especially for support or maintenance: Children must depend on their parents.
- To place trust or confidence: You can depend on his honesty. See synonyms at rely
- To be determined, conditioned, or contingent: a grade depending on the results of the final exam.
- To have a dependence: began to depend more and more on drugs.
- To be pending or undecided, as in a court or legislature.
- To hang down: “And ever-living Lamps depend in Rows” (Alexander Pope)
usage note
Usage Note: In writing, depend is followed by on or upon when indicating condition or contingency, as in It depends on who is in charge. Omission of the preposition is typical of casual speech.
