SINCE 1828
\ ˈbranch
\
\
Definition of branch
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
botany
: a natural subdivision of a plant stem
especially
: a secondary shoot or stem (such as a bough) arising from a main axis (as of a tree)
pruning the tree's lower branches a swing mounted on a tree branch
2
: something that extends from or enters into a main body or source: such as
a(1)
: a stream that flows into another usually larger stream : tributary
the river's smaller branches
b
: a side road or way
the railroad's branch line
c
: a slender projection (such as the tine of an antler)
the branches of a menorah
e
computers
: a part of a computer program executed as a result of a program decision
3
: a part of a complex body: such as
a
: a division of a family descending from a particular ancestor
the Iranian branch of the family
b
: an area of knowledge that may be considered apart from related areas
orthopedics and other branches of medicine syntax is a branch of linguistics
c(1)
: a division of an organization
a branch of the armed services the government's legislative and executive branches
(2)
: a separate but dependent part of a central organization
the neighborhood branch of the city library
d
linguistics
: a language group less inclusive than a family (see family entry 1 sense 5c)
the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family
branch
verb
branched;
branching;
branches
Definition of branch (Entry 2 of 2)
1
botany
: to put forth secondary shoots or stems : to put forth branches (see branch entry 1 sense 1) : ramify
an elm branching out over the rooftop
2
: to extend in different directions from a main part or point : to spring out (as from a main stem) : diverge
where the spring branches off from the river
3
: to develop or derive from a source : to be an outgrowth
—used with from poetry that branched from religious prose
4
: to extend activities
—usually used with out the business is branching out into formal wear
5
computers
: to follow one of two or more parts of a computer program executed as a result of a program decision : to follow one of two or more branches (see branch entry 1 sense 2e)
1
: to ornament with designs of branches (see branch entry 1 sense 1)
branched velvet
2
: to divide up : section
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Other Words from branch
Noun
branched
\ ˈbrancht
\
adjective
\
adjective
branchless
\ ˈbranch-ləs
\
adjective
\
adjective
branchy
\ ˈbran-chē
\
adjective
\
adjective
Synonyms & Antonyms for branch
Synonyms: Noun
Synonyms: Verb
Antonyms: Verb
concentrate, converge, focus, funnel, meet
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Examples of branch in a Sentence
Noun
birds singing from the branches of a tree The bank has a new branch in our area. She works at the branch office downtown.Verb
The stream branches from the river near their house. threads branched from the center of the spider web
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
City Light said at about 11 a.m. that the outage was caused when a tree branch fell on a pair of powerlines. — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, "Power restored to 6,700 in Capitol Hill after outage," 9 Sep. 2019 Polished wooden handrails were inspired by a restroom in Kyoto that had a tree branch growing out of the wall, and the Toto Neorest toilet, imported from Japan, has a heated seat and panel of buttons that rivals a Tesla’s dashboard. — Fortune, "Philadelphia’s Swank New Omakase Restaurant Is Elevated in Every Aspect," 8 Sep. 2019 The tradition of adding candles to the tree branches is most commonly attributed to Martin Luther, leader of the Protestant Reformation movement in the 1500s. — Country Living, "The History of the Christmas Tree Goes Back Farther Than You Might Realize," 4 Sep. 2019 Sixty-year-old Tom Tuong, the store’s owner, photographer and only full-time worker, unfurled a cheerful backdrop printed with a rainbow and leafy tree branches. — Los Angeles Times, "Kacey Musgraves and Tom’s One Hour Photo: The whole story," 31 Aug. 2019 When the sun shines through a south-facing window, shadows on the floor look like tree branches, Luther said. — Jesse Leavenworth, courant.com, "Manchester school board tours newly renovated, expanded Verplanck Elementary School," 26 Aug. 2019 Not Dead is an ink drawing on paper of a winking black woman with a tree branch through her heart and strange fruits and blood on the leaves. — Dallas News, "A Dallas art gallery examines identity in 'How It Looks To Be You In Egyptian Cotton'," 23 Aug. 2019 In the pouring rain, hidden under a large tree branch was a mound of dirt. — CBS News, "Blaze Bernstein murder: Was an Ivy League student slain in the name of hate?," 20 July 2019 Obstacles, such as window panes or tree branches, can degrade performance. — Julio Ojeda-zapata, Twin Cities, "Broadband on the go: Verizon turns on speedy 5G service in parts of St. Paul," 18 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
Biderman advises for any young chef thinking of branching out on their own. — Fortune, "Why the Most Successful Chefs and Restaurateurs Are Thankful for Their Failures," 14 Sep. 2019 Whether the kids branch out and try something new or mom and dad end up eating all of the peppers, everybody goes to bed with a full belly. 1. — Karoline Boehm Goodnick, BostonGlobe.com, "Recipe: Change up your taco night routine with this spicy pork tucked into corn tortillas," 3 Sep. 2019 The elder LeBlanc started out in the prison industry as an architect, but branched into other services and once was an owner of a large private prison company. — Washington Post, "4 Louisiana men to plead guilty in Mississippi bribe scheme," 18 Aug. 2019 Matthys said the orchestra has been branching out and reaching out to people around North County, not just Poway, and often draws its audiences from Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch as well as Poway. — Emily Sorensen, Pomerado News, "Poway Symphony Orchestra holding fundraiser Aug. 22," 14 Aug. 2019 Just 2% of the ocean floor is filled with coral, but the branching structures — shaped like everything from reindeer antlers to human brains — sustain a quarter of all marine species. — Washington Post, "Surprise rescue of Jamaica coral reefs shows nature can heal," 17 Sep. 2019 This challenges the long and widely-held view that Lucy’s species evolved gradually from A. anamensis without branching of the evolutionary line – a process known as anagenesis. — Hester Hanegraef, Quartz Africa, "The skull of humanity’s oldest known ancestor is changing our understanding of evolution," 7 Sep. 2019 His idea was that, although life is somewhat branched, there is direction in evolution, a progression toward greater cognitive complexity and, ultimately, to identification with the divine, that is, God. — Quentin Wheeler, Quartz, "That popular monkey-to-man chart gets evolution all wrong," 4 Sep. 2019 His idea was that, although life is somewhat branched, there is direction in evolution, a progression toward greater cognitive complexity and, ultimately, to identification with the divine, that is, God. — Antonio G. Valdecasas, The Conversation, "Evolution doesn’t proceed in a straight line – so why draw it that way?," 3 Sep. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'branch.' 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 branch
branch
noun
English Language Learners Definition of branch
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk
: a local office or shop of a company or organization
: a major part of a government
branch
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of branch (Entry 2 of 2)
: to divide into smaller parts : to separate into branches
See the full definition for branch in the English Language Learners Dictionary
branch
noun
\ ˈbranch
\
\
Kids Definition of branch
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk or from a main division of the trunk
2
: something extending from a main line or body like a branch
a branch of a railroad
3
: a division or subordinate part of something
a branch of government The bank opened a new branch.
branch
verb
branched;
branching
Kids Definition of branch (Entry 2 of 2)
: to spread or divide into smaller or attached parts : send out a branch
It was a long corridor and it branched into other corridors …— Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
branch
noun
\ ˈbranch
\
\
Medical Definition of branch
1
: something that extends from or enters into a main body or source
a branch of an artery
2
: an area of knowledge that may be considered apart from related areas
pathology is a branch of medicine
Other Words from branch
branch
intransitive verb
branched
\ ˈbrancht
\
adjective
\
adjective
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branch
nounLegal Definition of branch
: a part of a complex body: as
a
: one of the three main divisions of the U.S. or a state government — see also executive, judiciary, legislature
b
: a division of a business or organization
an insurer's branch office
— see also branch bank at bank
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Comments on branch
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