bilateral

adjective

bi·​lat·​er·​al (ˌ)bī-ˈla-t(ə-)rəl How to pronounce bilateral (audio)
1
: affecting reciprocally two nations or parties
a bilateral treaty
a bilateral trade agreement
2
: having two sides
dealing with a bilateral problem
3
biology
a
: of, relating to, or affecting the right and left sides of the body or the right and left members of paired organs
bilateral nephrectomy
b
bilaterally adverb

Did you know?

Since the prefix bi- means "two" in Latin, bilateral means essentially "two-sided". In the days when there were two superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union regularly engaged in bilateral arms negotiations; such negotiations are much less common today. Sometimes bilateral refers to two sides of the same thing. A bilateral hip replacement, for instance, replaces both hip bones in the same operation. And bilateral symmetry (a term often used by biologists) refers to the fact that, in many organisms (such as humans), the left side is basically the mirror image of the right side.

Examples of bilateral in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Gupta was arrested and detained on June 30 in the Czech Republic through a bilateral extradition treaty between the U.S. and the Czech Republic. Britney Nguyen, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 In early November, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua reached an agreement to revive a bilateral working group on environmental issues including advancing renewable sources of energy and reducing methane emissions. Wang Jisi, Foreign Affairs, 23 Nov. 2023 However, the absence of both in utero (bilateral renal agenesis) impacts the development of the lungs. Cara Lynn Shultz, Peoplemag, 27 Oct. 2023 Finland’s Foreign Ministry announced last month that the country of 5.6 million has concluded a deal on a new bilateral defense agreement with the United States. Jari Tanner, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Nov. 2023 As a deaf person who wears bilateral cochlear implants, the issue of accessibility has been close to her heart for a long time. Michael Andor Brodeur, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023 The bears have long been the symbol of the U.S.-China friendship since Beijing gifted a pair of pandas to the National Zoo in Washington in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Didi Tang, Fortune, 16 Nov. 2023 Mark Kelly President Biden met Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday in California, and the atmospherics suggested a new era of bilateral good feelings. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023 Breaking a yearlong silence between them, President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met Wednesday in Silicon Valley and vowed to reduce tensions in the world’s most important bilateral relationship. Courtney Subramanian, Los Angeles Times, 15 Nov. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bilateral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1751, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bilateral was in 1751

Dictionary Entries Near bilateral

Cite this Entry

“Bilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bilateral. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

bilateral

adjective
bi·​lat·​er·​al (ˈ)bī-ˈlat-ə-rəl How to pronounce bilateral (audio)
-ˈla-trəl
1
: having or involving two sides or parties
a bilateral treaty
2
: characterized by bilateral symmetry
bilaterally
adverb

Medical Definition

bilateral

adjective
bi·​lat·​er·​al (ˈ)bī-ˈlat-ə-rəl, -ˈla-trəl How to pronounce bilateral (audio)
1
: of, relating to, or affecting the right and left sides of the body or the right and left members of paired organs
bilateral nephrectomy
bilateral tumors of the adrenal glands
2
: having bilateral symmetry
bilateralism noun
bilaterality noun
plural bilateralities

Legal Definition

bilateral

adjective
bi·​lat·​er·​al ˌbī-ˈla-tə-rəl How to pronounce bilateral (audio)
: affecting, obligating, or shared by both parties
bilaterally
-rə-lē
adverb
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!