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dependent

dependent

27 3.7
A person who relies on someone else for money or support
  • noun
  • /dɪˈpɛndənt/
translation icon : persona a cargo
  • Can I claim her daughter as a dependent on my taxes until I get my money back?
  • retirees and dependents
  • care for dependents
  • spouses and dependents

It also meant that adult dependents got screwed.

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Examples

  • Single, no children, no dependents.

  • Thus, women and men with dependents at the time of retirement are disadvantaged.

    Academic text (1999)
  • When they become our dependents, we have to take care of them.

  • I just... ...need a job, with the normal benefits for me and my dependents.

  • For single women, with or without dependents, pay rates were substantially less.

    Academic text (1991)
  • Nearly all participants (22) had dependents, but only nine individuals had any dependents living with them.

    Academic text (2017)
  • I have responsibilities, dependents.

  • Provision of health care for the 9.2 million military personnel, their civilian dependents, and retirees is complex and expensive.

    Academic text (1992)
  • And even adult dependents who are claimed by their children as dependents were all excluded from receiving stimulus checks.

  • You can usually claim your child as a dependent on your tax return until they turn 18.

Compounds

176 3.2

Needing something else to happen or be true

Something else decides it, for example a condition like the weather

dependent variable
  • Specialized
2 5.3

A value measured in an experiment that changes when you change something else

A brain scan that shows brain activity by measuring changes in blood oxygen

dependent clause
  • Specialized
6.1

A group of words that cannot stand alone and acts like a noun, adjective, or adverb

A long-term disease in which the body cannot make insulin and needs injections to control blood sugar

A long-term illness where the body cannot use sugar properly and is often managed by diet and exercise

A long illness in adults that causes high blood sugar and usually does not need insulin injections

How Dependent

ward
  • Formal
72 4.9
dependent
27 3.7
beneficiary
130 5.8
recipient
300 3.7

Surface Forms

dependent singular
dependents plural

Morphology

dependent = depend (transparent) = depend + ent

The adjective 'dependent' is directly formed from the verb 'depend' with the productive suffix '-ent', so learners can infer the meaning.

Etymology

Dependent comes from the Latin parts de- 'down' and pendere 'to hang', giving the idea of someone who 'hangs on' another person for help or money. So a dependent (noun) is a person who relies on someone else for support.