As a Verb or Adjective: 1. For one thing to happen only if the circumstances are right (ie if something else happens first); to be determined by something else. English = depend on. 2. Used to describe something which is dependent on another thing. English = (be) dependent. Interactive: 1. Used alone to mean you are not sure what will happen or what the best answer to give is. English = 'It depends.' As Modifier: 1. Used between the main part of a sentence and a condition which will cause the first or greatly influence it. English = depending on. 2. In mathematics, used before the sign VARIABLE to mean a ‘dependent variable’. The value of a dependent variable (often denoted by y) depends on that of another variable.