dependent
Americanadjective
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relying on someone or something else for aid, support, etc.
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conditioned or determined by something else; contingent.
Our trip is dependent on the weather.
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subordinate; subject.
a dependent territory.
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Grammar. not used in isolation; used only in connection with other forms. In I walked out when the bell rang, when the bell rang is a dependent clause.
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hanging down; pendent.
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Mathematics.
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(of a variable) having values determined by one or more independent variables.
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(of an equation) having solutions that are identical to those of another equation or to those of a set of equations.
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Statistics. (of an event or a value) not statistically independent.
noun
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a person who depends on or needs someone or something for aid, support, favor, etc.
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a child, spouse, parent, or certain other relative to whom one contributes all or a major amount of necessary financial support.
She listed two dependents on her income-tax form.
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Archaic. a subordinate part.
adjective
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depending on a person or thing for aid, support, life, etc
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(postpositive; foll by on or upon) influenced or conditioned (by); contingent (on)
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subordinate; subject
a dependent prince
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obsolete hanging down
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maths
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(of a variable) having a value depending on that assumed by a related independent variable
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(of a linear equation) having every solution as a solution of one or more given linear equations
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noun
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grammar an element in a phrase or clause that is not the governor
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a variant spelling (esp US) of dependant
Commonly Confused
See dependant
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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overdependentadjective
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predependentadjective
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quasi-dependentadjective
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self-dependentadjective
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semidependentadjective
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undependentadjective
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dependantlyadverb
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dependentlyadverb
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quasi-dependentlyadverb
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self-dependentlyadverb
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semidependentlyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of dependent
First recorded in 1375–1425, dependent is from the late Middle English word dependaunt. See depend, -ent
Explanation
Being dependent means relying on something. Many people are dependent on coffee in the morning, while a dependent is someone who relies on you for financial support. In grammar-land, a dependent clause can’t stand alone because it’s a fragment. Dependent comes from pendant, the French word for "hanging.” If you break your leg, you will be dependent, or hanging, on crutches to get around. Kids are dependents of their parents, since they rely on them for food and shelter. A drug addict is dependent on drugs. And if a decision is dependent on your mood, that means it depends on or will be decided by how you feel.
Vocabulary lists containing dependent
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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The New SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words
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The ACT Reading Test: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 8
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The bill would let Congress keep existing individual stocks but prohibit lawmakers, spouses and dependent children from buying new shares.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Unforeseen events could eventually leave them dependent on public assistance, re-creating the kind of poverty that Social Security was designed to prevent after the Great Depression.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
"The final outcome for FY26 remains dependent on the important remaining bookings, as well as fuel prices, which continue to be volatile," the carrier said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Nauru, which was a dependent territory of Australia until independence in 1968, was heavily mined in the late 20th Century.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Human babies are helpless, dependent for many years on their elders for sustenance, protection and education.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
The mother, Yadira, applied for asylum and listed Wilber, who was 15 at the time, and his younger sister, as dependents of her case.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
The first is the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance trust fund, which pays out benefits to retirees and dependents.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
For many workers — such as single-earners, people whose jobs are not stable or those who support dependents — the standard emergency fund should cover six months of basic expenses, financial planners told MarketWatch.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026
Zalewski said his government was prepared to build infrastructure to house new troops and their dependents so the American units could be permanently stationed in Poland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026
At the end of September, Lemos found the burden of caring for all of these dependents overwhelming, and, reluctantly and tearfully, she placed four of her children in the nearby Half-Orphan Asylum.
From "The Great Fire" by Jim Murphy
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.