depend

de·pend

D0140800 (dĭ-pĕnd′)v. de·pend·ed, de·pend·ing, de·pends v.intr.1. To rely, especially for support or maintenance: Children must depend on their parents.2. To place trust or confidence: You can depend on his honesty. See Synonyms at rely.3. To be determined, influenced, or contingent: a grade depending on the results of the final exam.4. To have a dependence: began to depend more and more on drugs.5. Archaic To hang down: "And ever-living Lamps depend in Rows" (Alexander Pope).v.tr. Informal To be determined by, be influenced by, or be contingent on: "What happened?" "It depends who you ask."

[Middle English dependen, to hang down, from Old French dependre, from Latin dēpendēre : dē-, de- + pendēre, to hang; see (s)pen- in Indo-European roots.]Usage Note: In standard 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.

depend

(dɪˈpɛnd) vb (intr) 1. (foll by: on or upon) to put trust (in); rely (on); be sure (of)2. (usually foll by: on or upon; often with it as subject) to be influenced or determined (by); be resultant (from): whether you come or not depends on what father says; it all depends on you. 3. (Economics) (foll by: on or upon) to rely (on) for income, support, etc4. (foll by from) rare to hang down; be suspended5. to be undecided or pending[C15: from Old French dependre, from Latin dēpendēre to hang from, from de- + pendēre to hang]

de•pend

(dɪˈpɛnd)

v.i. 1. to rely; place trust (usu. fol. by on or upon): You may depend on our tact. 2. to rely for support or help (usu. fol. by on or upon). 3. to be conditioned or contingent (usu. fol. by on or upon): Our plans depend on the weather. 4. to be undetermined or pending. 5. (of a linguistic form) to be subordinate to another linguistic form in the same construction. 6. to hang down; be suspended (usu. fol. by from). [1375–1425; late Middle English < Old French dependre « Latin dēpendēre to hang down =dē- de- + pendēre to hang]

depend

1. 'depend on'

If you depend on someone or something or depend upon them, you need them in order to survive.

At college Julie seemed to depend on Simon more and more.Uruguay's economy has depended heavily on its banking sector.The factories depend upon natural resources.

If one thing depends on another thing, the first thing is affected by the second.

The success of the meeting depends largely on whether the chairperson is efficient.The cooking time depends on the size of the potato.

Be Careful!
Depend is never an adjective. Don't say, for example, that someone or something 'is depend on' another person or thing. You say that they are dependent on that person or thing.

The local economy is dependent on oil and gas extraction.2. 'depending on'

You use depending on to say that something varies according to particular circumstances.

There are, depending on the individual, a lot of different approaches.They cost £20 or £25 depending on the size.3. 'it depends'

Sometimes people answer a question by saying 'It depends', rather than 'yes' or 'no'. They usually then explain what else affects the situation.

'What time will you arrive?' 'It depends. If I come by train, I'll arrive at 5 o'clock. If I come by bus, I'll be a bit later.'

depend

Past participle: depended
Gerund: depending

Imperative
depend
depend

Present
I depend
you depend
he/she/it depends
we depend
you depend
they depend

Preterite
I depended
you depended
he/she/it depended
we depended
you depended
they depended

Present Continuous
I am depending
you are depending
he/she/it is depending
we are depending
you are depending
they are depending

Present Perfect
I have depended
you have depended
he/she/it has depended
we have depended
you have depended
they have depended

Past Continuous
I was depending
you were depending
he/she/it was depending
we were depending
you were depending
they were depending

Past Perfect
I had depended
you had depended
he/she/it had depended
we had depended
you had depended
they had depended

Future
I will depend
you will depend
he/she/it will depend
we will depend
you will depend
they will depend

Future Perfect
I will have depended
you will have depended
he/she/it will have depended
we will have depended
you will have depended
they will have depended

Future Continuous
I will be depending
you will be depending
he/she/it will be depending
we will be depending
you will be depending
they will be depending

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been depending
you have been depending
he/she/it has been depending
we have been depending
you have been depending
they have been depending

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been depending
you will have been depending
he/she/it will have been depending
we will have been depending
you will have been depending
they will have been depending

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been depending
you had been depending
he/she/it had been depending
we had been depending
you had been depending
they had been depending

Conditional
I would depend
you would depend
he/she/it would depend
we would depend
you would depend
they would depend

Past Conditional
I would have depended
you would have depended
he/she/it would have depended
we would have depended
you would have depended
they would have depended

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	depend - be contingent upon (something that is elided); "That depends"be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"hang by a hair, hang by a thread - depend on a small thing or be at risk; "His life now hangs by a thread"
	2.	depend - have faith or confidence in; "you can count on me to help you any time"; "Look to your friends for support"; "You can bet on that!"; "Depend on your family in times of crisis"bet, reckon, calculate, count, lookrely, trust, swear, bank - have confidence or faith in; "We can trust in God"; "Rely on your friends"; "bank on your good education"; "I swear by my grandmother's recipes"

depend

verb1. be determined by, be based on, be subject to, hang on, rest on, be influenced by, revolve around, hinge on, be decided by, be conditional on, be subordinate to, be contingent on What happened later would depend on his talk with her.2. count on, turn to, trust in, bank on, be sure of, lean on, rely upon, confide in, build upon, calculate on, reckon on She assured him that he could depend on her.

depend

verbTo fasten or be fastened at one point with no support from below:dangle, hang, sling, suspend, swing.phrasal verb
depend on or upon
1. To place trust or confidence in:bank on (or upon), believe in, count on (or upon), reckon on (or upon), rely on (or upon), trust (in).2. To look forward to confidently:anticipate, await, bargain for (or on), count on, expect, look for, wait (for).Informal: figure on.3. To be determined by or contingent on something unknown, uncertain, or changeable:hang on, hang upon, hinge on (or upon), rest on (or upon), turn on, turn upon.

Translations

依赖依靠取决于依...而定

depend

(diˈpend) verb (with on). 1. to rely on. You can't depend on his arriving on time.依靠2. to rely on receiving necessary (financial) support from. The school depends for its survival on money from the Church.依赖3. (of a future happening etc) to be decided by. Our success depends on everyone working hard. 依...而定，取决于 deˈpendable adjective (negative undependable) trustworthy or reliable. I know he'll remember to get the wine – he's very dependable.可靠的deˈpendant noun a person who is kept or supported by another. He has five dependants to support – a wife and four children.受赡养者deˈpendent adjective1. relying on (someone etc) for (financial) support. He is totally dependent on his parents.依赖的2. (of a future happening etc) to be decided by. Whether we go or not is dependent on whether we have enough money.由...来决定的it/that depends, it all depends what happens, is decided etc, will be affected by something else. I don't know if I'll go to the party – it all depends.视情况而定

to look after one's dependants (not dependents).
to be dependent (not dependant) on one's parents.

depend

→ 依赖zhCN

depend

as if (one's) life depends on it

With maximum, possibly desperate, effort or energy (i.e., as if one is at risk of losing one's life if one fails). The boxer started the third round throwing punches as if his life depended on it. This project could very well determine the future of the company, so start working as if your lives depend on it!See also: depend, if, life, on

like (one's) life depends on it

With maximum, possibly desperate, effort or energy (i.e., as if one is at risk of losing one's life if one fails). The boxer started the third round throwing punches like his life depended on it. This project could very well determine the future of the company, so start working like your lives depend on it!See also: depend, life, like, on

if (one's) life depended on it

Under any circumstances; no matter what. (Used almost exclusively with a negative statement regarding something that one couldn't or wouldn't do.) No way am I going to karaoke night. I couldn't sing if my life depended on it! No thanks, I wouldn't see that film if my life depended on it.See also: depend, if, life, on

success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone

Success is achieved through dedication and effort, not hopes and dreams or wishful thinking. You need to work on your writing every single day if you really want to be a famous author because success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone.See also: depend, not, on, success

depend (up)on (someone or something)

1. To rely on someone or something. You can depend on Tom, so if he said he'd be here at 11:30, then he'll be here at 11:30. I still haven't found a job, so, yes, I depend upon my parents for money.2. To be dictated by certain conditions. Where we hold the wedding ceremony depends entirely on the weather—if it's rainy, then we'll have it indoors.3. To be addicted to something. I have a harder time falling asleep these days, but at least I don't depend on sleeping pills anymore.See also: depend

it (all) depends

The possibility or likelihood of some outcome depends on one or more unspecified factors. A: "So, would you be willing to join our company?" B: "Well, it depends—what kind of salary are we talking about?" Is it legal? Yes. Is it ethical? Well, it all depends.See also: depend

that (all) depends

The possibility or likelihood of some outcome depends on one or more unspecified factors. A: "So, would you be willing to join our company?" B: "Well, that depends—what kind of salary are we talking about?" Is it legal? Yes. Is it ethical? Well, that all depends.See also: depend, that

depend (up)on someone or something

to rely upon someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) Can I depend on you to do this right? You can depend upon me for help.See also: depend, on

That (all) depends.

My answer depends on factors that have yet to be discussed. Tom: Will you be able to come to the meeting on Thursday night? Mary: That all depends. Bob: Can I see you again? Sally: That depends.See also: depend, that

it/that (all) deˈpends

(informal) perhaps; possibly: ‘Would you marry him if he asked you to?’ ‘I might. It all depends.’ ♢ ‘But is it right to send people to prison?’ ‘It depends what you mean by right!’See also: depend, that

depend on

or depend uponv.1. To be contingent upon something or someone for an outcome: Whether or not we go on the picnic depends on the weather.2. To rely on something or someone, especially for support or maintenance: Children depend on adults for food and shelter.3. To place trust or confidence in someone or something: You can depend upon my honesty.4. To have a chronic or compulsive need for something; be addicted to something: As time went by, he began to depend on painkillers to get him through the day.See also: depend, on

depend on the kindness of strangers

A form of self-deception. The phrase comes from Tennessee Williams’s play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), in which Blanche DuBois, with delusions of grandeur, has a destructive effect on her sister Stella’s marriage to Stanley Kowalski. Stanley rapes her, leading to her nervous breakdown, and commits her to a mental hospital. As the doctor leads her off, she says, “Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” The phrase “kindness of strangers” occasionally appears in other contexts, as in “With no rain for a month, my garden depends on the kindness of strangers.” Sue Miller used it in her novel The Lake Shore Limited (2010). Talking about two characters in her play, the playwright said: “Well, you are not Jay . . . a guy who’s betraying his wife. And I’m not Elena. I’m not . . . dependent upon the kindness of strangers.”See also: depend, kindness, of, on, stranger

depend

de·pend

depend

de•pend

depend

depend

depend

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depend

depend

depend

as if (one's) life depends on it

like (one's) life depends on it

if (one's) life depended on it

success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone

depend (up)on (someone or something)

it (all) depends

that (all) depends

depend (up)on someone or something

That (all) depends.

it/that (all) deˈpends

depend on

depend on the kindness of strangers

depend

Synonyms for depend

verb be determined by

Synonyms

verb count on

Synonyms

Synonyms for depend

verb to fasten or be fastened at one point with no support from below

Synonyms

phrase depend on: to place trust or confidence in

Synonyms

phrase depend on: to look forward to confidently

Synonyms

phrase depend on: to be determined by or contingent on something unknown, uncertain, or changeable

Synonyms

Synonyms for depend

verb be contingent upon (something that is elided)

Related Words

verb have faith or confidence in

Synonyms

Related Words