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
Utility Jackets Utility jackets are getting a glow-up this season, branching beyond just a functional outdoor layer into a polished style element with shape-hugging cuts, a variety of fabrics, and even more pockets. Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2026 Pruning also stimulates branching, which encourages more flowers. Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 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
  • And in Colorado, all 13 of the state’s Gold Medal trout streams are fed by tributaries flowing from roadless areas.
    Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 19 Mar. 2026
  • The water would be dumped into the Niespodziany Ditch, a tributary of the Kankakee.
    Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • At the local and county level, that includes Pinellas County, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office as well as the police department in Miami Springs and the Key West Police Department.
    Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
  • The director of aviation, Haley Gentry, makes the most compared to her department colleagues.
    Caitlin McGlade, Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 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
  • There, the cells were cultured and injected with a virus that carries the gene that LAD-1 patients are missing, Kohn said.
    Kerry Breen, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • This device is a high-tech centrifuge that simulates microgravity by spinning vials with samples around two axes, effectively confusing the cells inside as to their position in space.
    Tereza Pultarova, Space.com, 27 Mar. 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 1 Apr. 2026.

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