branch 1 of 2

Definition of branchnext
1
as in limb
a major outgrowth from the main stem of a woody plant I loved climbing among the branches of that old tree

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2
as in affiliate
a local unit of an organization a bank with many neighborhood branches

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3
as in tributary
a stream that flows into a larger body of water the Blue Nile, the Atbara, and the White Nile are the three primary branches of the Nile River

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

4
as in department
a large unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization the two branches of the U.S. Congress

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branch

2 of 2

verb

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of branch
Noun
Democrats, and a few Republicans, have introduced various bills that would ban sports betting on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket; prevent federal lawmakers and senior executive branch officials from placing bets on them; and prohibit bets on events like deaths and war. Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 27 Mar. 2026 The officer then runs through the brush, swatting branches aside and calling out to the man. Siafa Lewis, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
The current inscribes some victims’ skin with mysterious scarlike patterns called Lichtenberg figures, which resemble the limbs of a barren tree—or the branching structure of lightning itself. Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026 Prune to establish a strong structure of old wood and branching to support a healthy plant with new green growth. Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for branch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for branch
Noun
  • Comments on all of the videos point out inconsistent character designs from scene to scene, including varying faces and extra limbs.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Say yes to experimentation and going out on a limb!
    Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Rookie Arttu Hyry, playing his sixth game since being recalled from Dallas' AHL affiliate, scored the lone goal for the Stars, who are in second place in the Central Division but have lost five of their last six.
    CBS News, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
  • Documents list the operator as Lavender Fields Holdings LLC, and according to Indiana Economic Development Corporation sales tax exemption documents, Google is listed as an affiliate.
    Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Instead, year-round rain and snow feed the Salt River and its tributaries.
    Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Paul Faust, who lives in the Darlington area of Ligonier Township, has a small tributary to the Loyalhanna Creek in his backyard, but on Friday, that run was acting less like a stream and more like a moat.
    Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Shackelford accused Hernandez of corruption, and her own department of enabling and covering it up, in a detailed whistleblower complaint to DeSantis’ Chief Inspector General.
    Carol Marbin Miller, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2026
  • Because those two sports are going to drive and carry everybody else in the department.
    Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In the Project Hail Mary universe, all life in our solar system’s sector of the Milky Way comes from an ancient ancestor of Astrophage that long ago radiated out from Tau Ceti, Weir says.
    Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 20 Mar. 2026
  • Those words — simple, dignified, and private — feel fitting for a man whose on-screen persona radiated quiet strength and unwavering principle.
    Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • The process rapidly reduces the number of infected red blood cells in the patient’s system, replacing them with donor cells, corresponding author David Leaf told STAT.
    O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 3 Apr. 2026
  • In this study, scientists determined that combining FAK-inhibiting drugs with immunotherapy and chemotherapy yielded the best results in mice in suppressing tumor growth, attracting tumor-fighting immune cells and extending survival.
    Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term directing federal agencies not to recognize the citizenship of babies born in the United States if neither parent is a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
    Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
  • That’s because developers reportedly went to other agencies, most often Port KC, or weren’t subject to the requirements.
    Chris Higgins, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Dan Potter, director of the Houston Population Research Center at Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research, said that immigration levels were so high in years prior that no amount of change in federal policy would be able to stem the flow of people immediately.
    Sam González Kelly, Houston Chronicle, 26 Mar. 2026
  • Ecologist Barry Commoner’s 1971 empirical study confirmed that postwar environmental damage had stemmed almost entirely from new production methods and rising per capita consumption, not from the growing number of people.
    Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Branch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/branch. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

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