depend on/upon

depend on/upon
depend on/upon [phrasal verb]
depend on/upon (someone or something)
1 : to be determined or decided by (something)

We're not sure if we'll have the picnic. It depends on the weather. [=if the weather is good we will have the picnic]

“Will you go back to college?” “I don't know. It depends on whether or not I can afford it.”

The stamp's value depends on how rare it is.

Depending upon your child's weight and height, she or he may have to sit in the back seat of the car.

It's not clear how many people were at the rally. Reports vary between 10,000 and 20,000, depending on who's counting. [=some people report that there were 10,000 people at the rally, others report that there were 20,000]

— sometimes used informally without on or upon

“Are you happy?” “It depends what you mean by ‘happy.’”

see also life depends on at ↑life, 1
2 : to need (someone or something) for support, help, etc.

He no longer depends on [=relies on] his parents for money.

They depend heavily/largely/solely/entirely on her income to pay the bills. [=without her income they would not be able to pay their bills]

3 : to be sure about (someone or something) : to trust (someone or something)

She's someone you can always depend on. [=count on]

She will be remembered as a woman upon whom people could depend.

The manufacturer promises quality you can depend on.

— sometimes used humorously

You could always depend on him to disagree. [=you could always be sure that he would disagree]

I can always depend on it to rain on days when I forget my umbrella.

• • •
Main Entry: ↑depend

Useful english dictionary. 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • depend — /dI pend/ verb it /that depends spoken used to say that you cannot give a definite answer to something, because the answer could change according to what happens: “Are you going to visit him?” “Well, it depends.” depend on/upon phrasal verb (T) 1 …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • depend — de|pend W2S1 [dıˈpend] v [Date: 1400 1500; : French; Origin: dépendre, from Latin pendere to hang ] it/that depends spoken used to say that you cannot give a definite answer to something because your answer will be affected by something else ▪… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • depend — verb PHRASAL VERB depend on/upon sb/sth 1 be affected by sth ADVERB ▪ critically, crucially, greatly, strongly, very much ▪ The future …   Collocations dictionary

  • depend — 1 *rely, trust, count, reckon, bank Analogous words: lean, incline (see SLANT vb) 2 Depend, hinge, hang, turn are comparable when they mean to rest or, especially, to be contingent upon something uncertain or variable or indeterminable. All are… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • Depend — De*pend , v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Depended}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Depending}.] [F. d[ e]pendre, fr. L. depend?re; de + pend?re to hang. See {Pendant}.] 1. To hang down; to be sustained by being fastened or attached to something above. [1913 Webster] And …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • depend — 1. Depend in its main meaning is followed by on or upon: • It was quite wrong to come to depend too much upon one s children Penelope Fitzgerald, 1979 • As grandfather grew older…he seemed to depend increasingly on my company J. Simms, 1982. It… …   Modern English usage

  • depend — [v1] count on, rely upon bank on*, bet bottom dollar on*, bet on*, build upon, calculate on, confide in, gamble on*, lay money on*, lean on*, reckon on, trust in, turn to; concept 26 depend [v2] be contingent on be at mercy of, be based on, be… …   New thesaurus

  • depend upon — index appertain, trust Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • depend — [[t]dɪpe̱nd[/t]] ♦♦ depends, depending, depended 1) VERB If you say that one thing depends on another, you mean that the first thing will be affected or determined by the second. [V on/upon n] The cooking time needed depends on the size of the… …   English dictionary

  • depend on, depend upon — v. 1) (D; intr.) to depend on, depend upon for (to depend on, depend upon smb. for advice) 2) (H) you can depend on, depend upon her to be there …   Combinatory dictionary

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