branch 1 of 2

noun

ˈbranch How to pronounce branch (audio)
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

branch

2 of 2

verb

as in to radiate
to extend outwards from or as if from a central point threads branched from the center of the spider web

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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
Police stood guard outside branches in what officials described as a precaution against unrest. — Jorge Saenz, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2026 He is next set to appear Thursday before Judge Kelly Marie McCarthy at the Pullman branch of the Cook County Circuit Court, records show. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
Verb
Sellers have cut prices, closed stores, branched into other patriotic merchandise or turned to Trump’s rallies for sales. — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Through a particular sequence of such branching decisions, Waddington argued, cells specialize into their mature types, or fates, each expressing a particular set of genes. — Quanta Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for branch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for branch
  1. limb
  2. affiliate
  3. tributary
  4. department
  5. radiate
  6. cell
  7. agency
  8. stem
Noun
  • The clear frontrunner was Chris Brown, a 16-year-old multi-threat from Virginia who sang, rapped, and danced like his limbs were made of gas-station inflatables.
    — Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The horses panicked after a tree limb fell and hit the side of the wagon, ranch officials said on social media Saturday.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of limb
Noun
  • She is pictured here as a senior in high school being interviewed by CBS West Palm Beach affiliate while studying to become a pilot.
    — Morgan Rynor, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Nakase also has some NBA experience, becoming an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers’ G League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers in 2017.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of affiliate
Noun
  • It's now known to be in Bear Creek, which is a tributary of the Thornapple River in Kent County, southeast of Grand Rapids.
    — Paula Wethington, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The Yellow River is a tributary, so what happens there affects the Kankakee watershed, too.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of tributary
Noun
  • After 20 years as physical education department chair, Jurupa Valley’s flag football head coach Giselle Kendall is retiring.
    — Staff Photographer, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Critics have been literally flocking to speak publicly against the cameras, as city officials and police departments have held town halls in all of metro Atlanta’s four largest counties since August.
    — Graham Hurley, CNN Money, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of department
Verb
  • The City of Angels star proved otherwise by uploading several photos of herself in her younger years, followed by a video of herself radiating from the inside and on the outside today.
    — Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Even appliances that don’t have an open flame, such as toasters and slow cookers, can radiate enough heat to ignite nearby materials.
    — Lynn Andriani, Martha Stewart, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of radiate
Noun
  • Researchers place powdered magnet waste in an electrochemical cell, where an electrolyte such as diluted sulfuric acid provides the medium for chemical reactions.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But this time the embryo wasn’t just a collection of cells carrying DNA from her and her partner back in the Netherlands.
    — Megan Molteni, STAT, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of cell
Noun
  • Federal investigation now underway Emergency personnel from multiple agencies responded to the crash site, where wreckage from both helicopters was scattered across a rural field.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Oct. 2026
  • After the conclusion of the World Series, Luke Maile, Jonathan India, Craig Kimbrel, Josh Rojas and Alec Marsh were among the players who departed Kansas City via free agency.
    — Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of agency
Verb
  • Many of today’s challenges stem not from a lack of solutions but from a lack of pathways that help people adopt them at scale.
    — Jeff Tkach, Forbes.com, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Nasdaq's growing appeal stems in part from revisions to its index inclusion mechanisms and listing rules implemented earlier this year.
    — , CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of stem

Phrases Containing branch

Browse Nearby Words

brambly
branch
branched
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on branch

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about branch

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

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fulsome

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
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

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Ten More Words from Taylor Swift Songs

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All