dependent

dependent is on the Basic English 850 List.

delicate - dependent - design

Other spellings

• (US) dependant

Word parts

depend + -ent

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /dɪˈpɛndənt/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

Positive dependent

Comparative more dependent

Superlative most dependent

1. If you are dependent on something, you need it or rely on it.

   Ocean divers are dependent on their oxygen masks for air.

Related words

• depend
• dependency

Noun

Singular dependent

Plural dependents

1. (countable) A dependent is a person who relies on another person for support.

   With two children and an ailing mother, she had three dependents in all ... (In British English, this meaning is spelt dependant.)

2. (countable) (grammar) A dependent is an element in a phrase or clause that is not the head.

Grammar (edit)
parts of speech	noun - verb - adjective - adnoun - adverb - determinative/determiner - article - participle - pronoun - conjunction - preposition - interjection
grammatical functions	head - dependent - subject - predicate - predicator - object - complement - predicative complement - predicative adjunct - predicative oblique - appositive oblique - modifier - supplement - adjunct - determiner/specifier
clauses	main clause - dependent clause - subordinate clause - relative clause