DEPEND

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does depend mean? 

• DEPEND (verb)
  The verb DEPEND has 2 senses:

1. be contingent upon (something that is elided)

2. have faith or confidence in

  Familiarity information: DEPEND used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DEPEND (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they depend    ... he / she / it depends   
Past simple: depended   
Past participle: depended   
-ing form: depending   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Be contingent upon (something that is elided)

Classified under:

Verbs of being, having, spatial relations

Context example:

That depends

Hypernyms (to "depend" is one way to...):

be (have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "depend"):

hang by a hair; hang by a thread (depend on a small thing or be at risk)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Derivation:

dependant; dependent (contingent on something else)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Have faith or confidence in

Classified under:

Verbs of thinking, judging, analyzing, doubting

Synonyms:

bank; bet; calculate; count; depend; look; reckon; rely; swear

Context example:

Depend on your family in times of crisis

Hypernyms (to "depend" is one way to...):

trust (have confidence or faith in)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

dependency (the state of relying on or being controlled by someone or something else)

 Context examples 

Cell surface sorting of the signal-transducing APP depends on a cytoplasmic tyrosine-based basolateral sorting signal (BaSS) sequence to which APPBP2 specifically binds.

(Amyloid Beta Precursor Protein-Binding Protein 2, NCI Thesaurus)

That depends on circumstances, sir—on your choice.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

He had prepared a sort of collar of leather with many straps depending from it.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The more you love and trust Him, the nearer you will feel to Him, and the less you will depend on human power and wisdom.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

The organs affected may depend on whether the amyloidosis is the primary, secondary, or hereditary form.

(Amyloidosis, NCI Dictionary)

“There shall be as little lingering as possible, in your case, Mr. Maldon, you may depend upon it,” said Mr. Wickfield.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

The resulting ligand-receptor complex is translocated to the nucleus where, depending on the tissue type, it promotes or suppresses the transcription of estrogen-regulated genes, thereby exerting its agonistic or antagonistic effects.

(Acolbifene hydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will visit them all.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Buck felt vaguely that there was no depending upon these two men and the woman.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

All the hours of his short life he had depended upon her.

(White Fang, by Jack London)