What does dependant mean?
A dependant is a person who relies on someone else, typically for financial support. The term appears most often in formal and administrative contexts: tax authorities ask whether you have dependants, insurers cover them under family policies, and immigration systems assess whether an applicant has dependants relying on their income. Typical dependants include children, spouses, and other relatives who cannot fully support themselves. Usage differs by region: British English preserves the spelling 'dependant' for this noun while using 'dependent' for the adjective meaning reliant, whereas American English collapses both into 'dependent'. The distinction is small but consequential on official forms, where the wrong spelling can matter less than the underlying claim: declaring someone a dependant carries real legal and financial weight, affecting taxation, benefits, and eligibility. The word derives from Latin 'dependere', to hang from or rely upon.
nounA person who relies on another, especially for financial support, such as a child or spouse supported by a taxpayer or insurance policyholder.
- A person who relies on another for financial support, e.g. a child or spouse claimed on tax forms or covered by insurance.
- A variant spelling context: in British legal and administrative use, any person dependent on another's support.
"She claimed her two children as dependants on her tax return."
"Employees may enrol their dependants in the company health plan."
"As a dependant of a serving soldier, he was entitled to the housing allowance."
Standard plural; identical in form to the American 'dependents' apart from spelling.
"The visa allows holders to bring up to four dependants."
In British English you can be a 'dependant', but in American English everyone — even your tax forms — spells it 'dependent'.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dependant
Dependant comes from the French 'dépendant', the present participle of 'dépendre', which itself descends from Latin 'dependere', meaning to hang down from or hang upon. The word entered English in the late medieval or early modern period through French legal and administrative usage. Its cognates include 'dependence', 'dependency', and 'pendant', all tracing back to the same Latin root built on 'de-' (down) plus 'pendere' (to hang).
How dependant is actually used
British English traditionally uses 'dependant' for the noun and 'dependent' for the adjective; American English uses 'dependent' for both. The word is largely formal/administrative in register.
Easily confused with dependant
'Dependant' is the noun form used chiefly in British English for someone relying on another, while 'dependent' is the standard American spelling and also serves as an adjective meaning reliant.