bifurcates

verb

present tense third-person singular of bifurcate
as in subdivides
formal to undergo division into two parts The stream bifurcated into two narrow winding channels.

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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 bifurcates While designing the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, in the 1990s, the architect would sit by the river that bifurcates the city, looking at different metal treatments. — Belinda Luscombe, Time, 6 Dec. 2025 For example, Highway 17 currently bifurcates a piece planners hope to lock in through Los Gatos. — San Francisco Chronicle, 30 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bifurcates
  1. divides
  2. separates
  3. splits
Verb
  • When a river divides to move around a rock, speeds change and voids form; water falls over itself and may start to rotate.
    — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The site divides itself into two hills roughly 1,500 feet apart.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of divides
Verb
  • That production focus separates the project from a purely materials-development effort.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The language surrounding an actual injury tends to be very different from the anticipation of being stabbed – AI should be expected to construct a box for pain that separates it from fear.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of separates
Verb
  • This natural process splits water molecules and steadily produces pure hydrogen gas within the surrounding rock formations.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Sep. 2026
  • An ice shelf, 400 miles wide, splits off from the glacier and starts floating toward Europe.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of splits

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Cite this Entry

“Bifurcates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bifurcates. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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