build upon vs depend upon

build upon and depend upon both are verbs.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
build upon	No	No	Yes	No
depend upon	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, depend upon is a hypernym of build upon; that is, depend upon is a word with a broader meaning than build upon:

Other hypernyms of build upon include depend on, devolve on, hinge on, hinge upon, ride, turn on.

build upon (verb)	depend upon (verb)
use as a basis for theories and claims	be contingent on
	put trust in with confidence