bilateral

adjective

Definition of bilateralnext
as in cooperative
involving two groups or countries; having or affecting two sides bilateral trade agreements a bilateral treaty

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 bilateral Be particularly careful with bilateral conditions, or conditions that can affect both sides of the body. — Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 3 Nov. 2026 The deployment, Dujarric said, was a bilateral matter between Haiti and El Salvador. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 3 Nov. 2026 Hurts’ health The Eagles and Hurts’ agent, Nicole Lynn, say Hurts suffered a DVT and bilateral pulmonary emboli. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 26 Oct. 2026 The Eagles and agent Nicole Lynn said Monday that Hurts has deep vein thrombosis and bilateral pulmonary emboli. — ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bilateral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bilateral
  1. cooperative
  2. collective
  3. communal
  4. reciprocal
  5. shared
  6. consensual
Adjective
  • The driver of the gray SUV remained on scene and has been cooperative according to officials.
    — Cecilio Padilla, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Each season sees 12 contestants engaged in competitive and cooperative tasks that push the mental envelope, with overarching metagames, hidden puzzles, and lots of intrigue.
    — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of cooperative
Adjective
  • These electrode arrays, which contain anywhere from 128 to just over 200 separate electrodes, record the collective activity of many neurons and send the neural waveforms to a computer for analysis.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Collaborators arrive from across the globe — Brazilian funkeiro Adame DJ, post-Soviet electro-punk collective Locked Club, Argentine rapper TAICHU, German duo Brutalismus 3000 — but Ridha never loses the thread.
    — Katie Bain, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of collective
Adjective
  • One tier down from Dithaba (both fiscally and geographically), Kapano is a few minutes’ walk down a dusty hill and follows a similar format, with four generous-sized rooms veering off the communal pool, bar, and alfresco deck dining area.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The culinary kickoff featured communal dining tables and a menu crafted by Luck chef ambassador Michael Fojtasek of Olamaie and Maie Day.
    — Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of communal
Adjective
  • Kontoor is also watching the potential impact of the reciprocal trade framework between the United States and Bangladesh.
    — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In a flurry of notes, Wall Street analysts pointed to that reciprocal business relationship as a major source of upside for Broadcom, particularly if Anthropic goes public.
    — Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of reciprocal
Adjective
  • Transparency protects trust, while shared purpose restores momentum.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Two other shared institutional features offer more compelling answers.
    — Daniel Waldenstrom, Foreign Affairs, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of shared
Adjective
  • In a December 2023 interview, Brand, now 51, sat alongside his attorney and delivered a lengthy prepared statement to detectives, maintaining that his encounters were consensual.
    — Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • Brand, who was not famous in 1999, argued that the encounter was consensual.
    — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of consensual

Browse Nearby Words

bikeways
bilateral
bile
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bilateral. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All