bisect

verb

bi·​sect ˈbī-ˌsekt How to pronounce bisect (audio)
bī-ˈsekt
bisected; bisecting; bisects

transitive verb

: to divide into two usually equal parts
bisection
ˈbī-ˌsek-shən How to pronounce bisect (audio)
bī-ˈsek-
noun
bisectional
ˈbī-ˌsek-shnəl How to pronounce bisect (audio)
-shə-nᵊl
adjective
bisectionally adverb

Examples of bisect in a Sentence

Draw a line that bisects the angle. The city is bisected by the highway.
Recent Examples on the Web The city, just 25 miles from the Russian border, is bisected by the Oskil River, and crossing it would invite targeted strikes. Serhii Korolchuk, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023 There's a nearby canal that bisects the cape from the mainland, alongside which there happens to also be a good spot for biking and skating along Buzzard's Bay with views of the striking Railroad Bridge. Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 28 Aug. 2023 His office is in the boomtown of Kolwezi, where concrete walls topped with razor wire bisect the huge tawny steppes of mining waste towering over the city. Arlette Bashizi, Washington Post, 5 July 2023 The dam has for decades held back the Dnieper River, a major waterway that bisects the front lines in the southern Kherson region between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 6 June 2023 Today, visitors reach the home via a flagstone path that bisects the property’s abundant kitchen garden — planted with cabbage, fennel and broccoli — and leads to its stainless-steel front door, a nod to the site’s agricultural past. Ellie Pithers, New York Times, 21 July 2023 While there’s some storylines deserving your attention, there are many that simply bisect the main quests at the most inconvenient times. Joshua Khan, Rolling Stone, 22 June 2023 Future plans for the roadway, which bisected a neighborhood and destroyed potential historic sites, remain a concern, as the state weighs plans for a new I-10 bridge farther south. Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 9 July 2023 North Baltimore residents are appealing a Baltimore circuit judge’s May decision affirming the legality of a funeral home’s plans to install a crematorium, extending the feud that united neighborhoods bisected by York Road. Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 19 June 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

bi- entry 1 + intersect

First Known Use

circa 1645, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of bisect was circa 1645

Dictionary Entries Near bisect

Cite this Entry

“Bisect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bisect. Accessed 24 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

bisect

verb
bi·​sect ˈbī-ˌsekt How to pronounce bisect (audio)
bī-ˈsekt
1
: to divide into two usually equal parts
2

More from Merriam-Webster on bisect

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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