branch 1 of 2

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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Relevance
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
Small cottony clusters may appear on branches, in cracks in the bark, on roots, or on the undersides of leaves. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2025 The library has seven physical branches in Bennett, Brighton, Commerce City, Thornton and the Perl Mack neighborhood of Denver, in addition to a robust digital program. Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
Trump has a long history of moving from one tactic to another, like an ape branching between trees. Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025 These species are believed to have branched around 11 million years ago and evolved in isolation due to geographic barriers, according to the study. Lauren Liebhaber september 17, Miami Herald, 17 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for branch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for branch
Noun
  • To relieve the burning pain, people plunge the affected limb in streams or ponds, triggering the release of thousands of larvae and contaminating the water source.
    Michal Ruprecht, NPR, 1 Oct. 2025
  • Well, pick up that limb and use it as a weapon to hit enemies.
    Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • On Tuesday night, hundreds of people gathered to remember the teenagers, according to CNN affiliate WABC.
    Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Back in the 1920s, even the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin called on his British supporters to affiliate with the Labour Party instead of fighting it.
    Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Don’t miss the Côa Museum, one of the country’s largest, perched at the mouth of the Côa River, a tributary of the Douro.
    Anna Mazurek, AFAR Media, 26 Sep. 2025
  • Sitting on a tributary of the Nile, the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, took some 15 years to built and the Ethiopians see it as a key to their future economic prosperity.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Early on, his department sent drones skyward to see how the store was managing incoming vehicles.
    Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Humphrey credits both trends to a shift in department culture.
    Monroe Trombly, Louisville Courier Journal, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The sting from the loss radiated off of him during his postgame news conference.
    Dan Duggan, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • The woman was visibly trembling and radiated the metallic scent of tequila.
    Catherine Lacey, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Luigi Avantaggiato Eukaryotes are organisms whose cells contain a nucleus.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 2 Oct. 2025
  • Macon is undergoing treatment for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, diagnosed at his 2-year-old checkup this past January.
    Kendall Malinchock, USA Today, 2 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Gaza is decimated In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says more than 66,000 people have been killed − about half of them women and children − and humanitarian agencies now warn of famine.
    Susan Page, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
  • The Jays in recent years missed out on several big names in free agency — Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto and Roki Sasaki.
    Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Cover stems with painters tape to keep them clean.
    Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Oct. 2025
  • The shutdown stemmed in large part from disagreement between Democratic and Republican lawmakers over whether to continue Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies.
    Sarah Cutler, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Branch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/branch. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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