diff --git a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommon.java b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommon.java
index f7b017d5a1a7db..3203038ef66f59 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommon.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommon.java
@@ -14,16 +14,19 @@
 package com.google.devtools.build.lib.rules.cpp;
 
 import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.packages.BuildType.LABEL;
+import static com.google.devtools.build.lib.packages.BuildType.LABEL_LIST;
 
 import com.google.common.base.Joiner;
 import com.google.common.base.Preconditions;
 import com.google.common.base.Strings;
+import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableCollection;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableList;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
 import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableSet;
 import com.google.common.collect.Maps;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.ActionAnalysisMetadata;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.actions.Artifact;
+import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.AliasProvider;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.AnalysisEnvironment;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.FileProvider;
 import com.google.devtools.build.lib.analysis.MakeVariableSupplier;
@@ -525,7 +528,20 @@ public List<String> getNonTransitiveDefines() {
 
   private List<String> getDefinesFromAttribute(String attr) {
     List<String> defines = new ArrayList<>();
-    for (String define : ruleContext.getExpander().list(attr)) {
+
+    // collect labels that can be subsituted in defines
+    ImmutableMap.Builder<Label, ImmutableCollection<Artifact>> builder = ImmutableMap.builder();
+
+    if (ruleContext.attributes().has("deps", LABEL_LIST)) {
+      for (TransitiveInfoCollection current : ruleContext.getPrerequisites("deps")) {
+        builder.put(
+            AliasProvider.getDependencyLabel(current),
+            current.getProvider(FileProvider.class).getFilesToBuild().toList());
+      }
+    }
+
+    // tokenize defines and substitute make variables
+    for (String define : ruleContext.getExpander().withExecLocations(builder.build()).list(attr)) {
       List<String> tokens = new ArrayList<>();
       try {
         ShellUtils.tokenize(tokens, define);
diff --git a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommonTest.java b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommonTest.java
index 36397e120bf080..e0205b2b07946b 100644
--- a/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommonTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/com/google/devtools/build/lib/rules/cpp/CcCommonTest.java
@@ -247,6 +247,34 @@ public void testIsolatedDefines() throws Exception {
         .inOrder();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testExpandedDefinesAgainstDeps() throws Exception {
+    ConfiguredTarget expandedDefines =
+        scratchConfiguredTarget(
+            "expanded_defines",
+            "expand_deps",
+            "cc_library(name = 'expand_deps',",
+            "           srcs = ['defines.cc'],",
+            "           deps = ['//foo'],",
+            "           defines = ['FOO=$(location //foo)'])");
+    assertThat(expandedDefines.get(CcInfo.PROVIDER).getCcCompilationContext().getDefines())
+        .containsExactly(
+            String.format("FOO=%s/foo/libfoo.a", getRuleContext(expandedDefines).getBinFragment()));
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void testExpandedDefinesAgainstSrcs() throws Exception {
+    ConfiguredTarget expandedDefines =
+        scratchConfiguredTarget(
+            "expanded_defines",
+            "expand_srcs",
+            "cc_library(name = 'expand_srcs',",
+            "           srcs = ['defines.cc'],",
+            "           defines = ['FOO=$(location defines.cc)'])");
+    assertThat(expandedDefines.get(CcInfo.PROVIDER).getCcCompilationContext().getDefines())
+        .containsExactly("FOO=expanded_defines/defines.cc");
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void testStartEndLib() throws Exception {
     getAnalysisMock()