bifurcate

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verb bi·fur·cate \ ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkāt , bī-ˈfər- \

Definition of bifurcate

bifurcated; bifurcating

transitive verb

:to cause to divide into two branches or parts

bifurcate a beam of light

intransitive verb

:to divide into two branches or parts

The stream bifurcates into two narrow channels.

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bifurcate

play \(ˌ)bī-ˈfər-kət, -ˌkāt; ˈbī-(ˌ)fər-ˌkāt\ adjective

See bifurcate defined for English-language learners

bifurcate was our Word of the Day on 08/14/2017. Hear the podcast!

Examples of bifurcate in a Sentence

The stream bifurcated into two narrow winding channels.
bifurcate a beam of light

Recent Examples of bifurcate from the Web

But insurance experts worry that the proposal would bifurcate the insurance market, sending the healthy to cheaper, less comprehensive insurance and the sick to plans that comply with all the federal mandates.

— robert pear, New York Times, "White House Backs Conservative Health Plan, but G.O.P. Leaders Are Leery," 5 July 2017
But if that fails, a senior White House source tells Fox News colleague John Roberts that President Trump wants to bifurcate repeal from replace.

— chad pergram, Fox News, "On ObamaCare, Republicans still chant repeal, replace; but question is when, how," 1 July 2017
The word has since bifurcated to refer either to the kind of secretary who nowadays prefers to be known as an executive assistant, thank you, or the kind who heads an executive department of the federal government.

— ruth walker, The Christian Science Monitor, "Going off, leaving the furniture in charge," 8 June 2017
In Selma, about 100 pages later, the question recurs: the image shows a flat, barren geometry of a monochromatic street bifurcated by a vivid telephone pole.

— robert pinsky, New York Times, "Teju Cole Pairs Text and Image to Explore the Mysteries of the Ordinary," 1 June 2017
Many people say that the United States is bifurcating into a nation of rich and poor – with the rich getting ever more benefits and the poor being treated, well, poorly.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: Rich folks and poor alike in many ways," 24 May 2017
Moodus Reservoir, bifurcated into Upper and Lower, covers nearly 500 acres.

— frank cohen, courant.com, "For A Small State, Connecticut Rich In Fishing Spots," 17 May 2017
Recent events show that his approach to the world has bifurcated, turning traditionally internationalist on foreign policy while remaining starkly nationalist on...

— greg ip, WSJ, "Is Trump Turning Globalist? Not So Fast," 19 Apr. 2017
Borges apparently recognized that a philosophical meditation on bifurcating narratives could make for more rewarding reading than the actual thing.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "More From the New Yorker," 2 Apr. 2007

These 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.

Did You Know?

Yogi Berra, the baseball great who was noted for his head-scratching quotes, is purported to have said, "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." Yogi’s advice might not offer much help when making tough decisions in life, but perhaps it will help you remember today’s word, bifurcate. A road that bifurcates splits in two like the one in Yogi’s adage. Other things can bifurcate as well, such as an organization that splits into two factions. Bifurcate derives from the Latin bifurcus, meaning "two-pronged," a combination of the prefix bi- ("two") and the noun furca ("fork"). Furca, as you can probably tell, gave us our word fork.