as in subdivides
formal
to undergo division into two parts
The stream bifurcated into two narrow winding channels.
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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
Belinda Luscombe, Time, 6 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bifurcates
Verb
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The food and drink Culinary offerings track the seasons through the ancient Japanese calendar, which divides the year into 72 micro-seasons.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 Feb. 2026
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The dividing line between natural kratom and the synthetic type has created a wedge that divides where there ought to be unity against an unregulated opioid that can cause permanent damage to users.—
Kevin Rennie,
Hartford Courant,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Ben Parker separates the reality of AI essay writing from the clickbait.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Feb. 2026
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The new images show the nebula in both near- and mid-infrared light, revealing a dark channel that runs through the middle of the clouds of gas and dust—just like the longitudinal fissure that separates our brain’s right and left hemispheres.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And rather than writing one data dot at a time, the scientists developed a system that splits the laser beam to write many dots simultaneously.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
21 Feb. 2026
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Today almost half the states in the nation claim it as their official dance – including California, which splits it with Western swing – though there are holdouts like Wisconsin (polka) and Hawaii (hula).—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bifurcates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bifurcates. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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