depend

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Related to depend: depend upon

as if (one's) life depends on it

With maximum, possibly desperate, effort or energy (i.e., as if one is at risk of losing one's life if one fails). The boxer started the third round throwing punches as if his life depended on it. This project could very well determine the future of the company, so start working as if your lives depend on it!

like (one's) life depends on it

With maximum, possibly desperate, effort or energy (i.e., as if one is at risk of losing one's life if one fails). The boxer started the third round throwing punches like his life depended on it. This project could very well determine the future of the company, so start working like your lives depend on it!

if (one's) life depended on it

Under any circumstances; no matter what. (Used almost exclusively with a negative statement regarding something that one couldn't or wouldn't do.) No way am I going to karaoke night. I couldn't sing if my life depended on it! No thanks, I wouldn't see that film if my life depended on it.

success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone

Success is achieved through dedication and effort, not hopes and dreams or wishful thinking. You need to work on your writing every single day if you really want to be a famous author because success depends on your backbone, not your wishbone.

depend (up)on (someone or something)

1. To rely on someone or something. You can depend on Tom, so if he said he'd be here at 11:30, then he'll be here at 11:30. I still haven't found a job, so, yes, I depend upon my parents for money.

2. To be dictated by certain conditions. Where we hold the wedding ceremony depends entirely on the weather—if it's rainy, then we'll have it indoors.

3. To be addicted to something. I have a harder time falling asleep these days, but at least I don't depend on sleeping pills anymore.

it (all) depends

The possibility of some outcome depends on one or more unspecified factors. A: "So, would you be willing to join our company?" B: "Well, it all depends—what kind of salary are we talking about?" Is it legal? Yes. Is it ethical? Well, it depends.

that (all) depends

The possibility of some outcome depends on one or more unspecified factors. A: "So, would you be willing to join our company?" B: "Well, that all depends—what kind of salary are we talking about?" Is it legal? Yes. Is it ethical? Well, that depends.

depend (up)on someone or something

to rely upon someone or something. (Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) Can I depend on you to do this right? You can depend upon me for help.

That (all) depends.

My answer depends on factors that have yet to be discussed. Tom: Will you be able to come to the meeting on Thursday night? Mary: That all depends. Bob: Can I see you again? Sally: That depends.

it/that (all) deˈpends

(informal) perhaps; possibly: ‘Would you marry him if he asked you to?’ ‘I might. It all depends.’ ♢ ‘But is it right to send people to prison?’ ‘It depends what you mean by right!’

depend on

or depend upon

1. To be contingent upon something or someone for an outcome: Whether or not we go on the picnic depends on the weather.

2. To rely on something or someone, especially for support or maintenance: Children depend on adults for food and shelter.

3. To place trust or confidence in someone or something: You can depend upon my honesty.

4. To have a chronic or compulsive need for something; be addicted to something: As time went by, he began to depend on painkillers to get him through the day.

depend on the kindness of strangers

A form of self-deception. The phrase comes from Tennessee Williams’s play A Streetcar Named Desire (1947), in which Blanche DuBois, with delusions of grandeur, has a destructive effect on her sister Stella’s marriage to Stanley Kowalski. Stanley rapes her, leading to her nervous breakdown, and commits her to a mental hospital. As the doctor leads her off, she says, “Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers.” The phrase “kindness of strangers” occasionally appears in other contexts, as in “With no rain for a month, my garden depends on the kindness of strangers.” Sue Miller used it in her novel The Lake Shore Limited (2010). Talking about two characters in her play, the playwright said: “Well, you are not Jay . . . a guy who’s betraying his wife. And I’m not Elena. I’m not . . . dependent upon the kindness of strangers.”

See also: depend, kindness, of, on, stranger

References in periodicals archive ?

Also, it depends to a certain degree on what processor you decide to use.

Scale-up Linux goes mainstream

Brown said: "Today 127,000 jobs depend on financial services and some say one in seven depend on financial and business services.

UK links 'vital' for business

Morris says choosing the right vendor not only depends on their talent and resources, but in their ability to resonate with a specific market and bring new ideas to the forefront.

What firms expect from market research and how they utilize it

The group, based at the University of Calgary in Alberta, has designed battery-powered LED lamps for use in some the world's most remote spots, regions that would otherwise depend on "flame lamps" of kerosene and candles.

Illuminating changes: conventional lightbulbs may soon be obsolete

Hence, the real answer is "it depends." It depends on whether the course is missing key acquisition elements that may be required to fully satisfy course objectives.

Delivering acquisition training to the space professional community

"How well it does during the coming year will depend on part on how it solves the problems of affordable housing, so young, college-educated workers can remain on Long Island," she said.

Housing crunch could stunt LI growth, says economist

When a particular form of disorder (e.g., graffiti, trash, loud music, or barking dogs) emerges, residents depend on officers to deal with it.

Situational policing

"Any company that wants to allocate capital properly needs to analyze and understand risk--whether or not a company chooses to do so with a CRO will depend on facts and circumstances." He suggests that when there are risks common to multiple business units, a company may want to consider aggregating risk management.

C-suites gaining another member: increasingly, larger companies are naming a chief risk officer to oversee complex risk management strategies. Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF) looks at this evolving role and who is filling it

According to Michael Porter and Mark Kramer's "Challenging Assumptions" article in the EBF report, every business has an impact on the communities in which it operates, and the business depends on a basic set of social conditions--an educated workforce, available natural resources, health care, good government--in order to operate and compete.

Is responsibility on the menu? Managers must understand what corporate social responsibility programs mean for all aspects of the business, and any CSR initiative must be led from the top

The background-to-nn signal ratio from neutron scattering on the residual gas depends on the gas pressure and does not depend on the collimation system.

Direct nn-scattering measurement with the pulsed reactor YAGUAR

The varying results of the different data depended on the sampling universe; years the data was collected; the exclusion of students who were not pursing a degree; transfer students, and other factors.

Graduation rates, Part II

All of the following steps must be taken, but the exact order will depend on the circumstances of each facility.

A road map to HIPAA compliance

In practice, reversal would depend on the goodwill of Holland's EMU partners.

Exiting EMU: not surprisingly, the Maastricht Treaty contains no exit procedures, but bailing out would not be that difficult

We depend on God to provide us what we need to live on a daily basis and to forgive our faithlessness--our inability to produce the fruits of the Spirit, as it were.

Third Sunday in Lent March 14, 2004

MY continued employment is depend ant on my ability to drive between sites over North Wales and my family depends on me to keep my job.