bifurcate
verb
bī-ˈfər- \
Definition of bifurcate
: to cause to divide into two branches or parts bifurcate a beam of light
: to divide into two branches or parts The stream bifurcates into two narrow channels.
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Other words from bifurcate
-ˌkāt;
ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkāt
\
adjective
Examples of bifurcate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The game shouldn’t be bifurcated by pitchers batting. — Christopher L. Gasper, BostonGlobe.com, "The Lions in the Super Bowl, a .400 hitter in a season, and other sports dreams I’d like to see become reality," 14 July 2018 The danger for Republicans is that the political map this year is sharply bifurcated: the most competitive House and Senate contests are taking place in strikingly different parts of the country. — Jonathan Martin, New York Times, "Forget Tax Cuts. Trump Wants to Rally the G.O.P. Base Over Immigration.," 18 June 2018 At the urging of dozens of speakers, Metro's directors eliminated an option that would have elevated the rail line through the eastern half of Little Tokyo, bifurcating the neighborhood. — Laura J. Nelson, latimes.com, "Metro narrows the options for a light-rail line from downtown L.A. to Artesia," 25 May 2018 The move by Democrats would bifurcate and weaken privacy protections online. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "A Phony Vote on ‘Net Neutrality’," 15 May 2018 Grant said the back-to-back controversies have helped highlight a generational, and geographic, divide that often bifurcates Boston’s black community. — Janelle Nanos, BostonGlobe.com, "Black Market in Roxbury feels growing pains," 30 Apr. 2018 The dried blood snaked across Nick Foligno's grill, bifurcating below his right eye and running down his puffy cheeks, even staining several mustache hairs dark red. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "Despite Injuries and Penalties, Blue Jackets Prove Resilient in OT Win Against Capitals," 13 Apr. 2018 The election bifurcated time into the before and the after. — Vogue, "Why I Haven’t Been on a Date Since Trump Was Elected," 14 Feb. 2018 Society is bifurcating into those who are part of the innovation economy (lords) and those who aren’t (serfs). — Scott Galloway, Esquire, "Silicon Valley’s Tax-Avoiding, Job-Killing, Soul-Sucking Machine," 8 Feb. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bifurcate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for bifurcate
bifurcate
verb
English Language Learners Definition of bifurcate
: to divide into two parts
See the full definition for bifurcate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
bifurcate
intransitive verb
bī-ˈfər-
\
Medical Definition of bifurcate
: to divide into two branches or parts
Other words from bifurcate
-ˌkāt; ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkāt
\
or
bifurcated
\-ˌkāt-əd
\
adjective
\
noun
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