BRANCHES Synonyms: 97 Similar and Opposite Words

branches 1 of 2

noun

plural of branch

as in limbs

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

as in affiliates

a local unit of an organization a bank with many neighborhood branches

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as in tributaries

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

as in departments

a large unit of a governmental, business, or educational organization the two branches of the U.S. Congress

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branches

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of branch

as in radiates

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

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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 branches

Noun

Various branches of Ukraine’s armed forces have launched thousands of Fire Point drones and dozens of its missiles. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 How to prepare before strong winds approach Trim tree branches away from your house and power lines. — Ca Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2026 Remove any twiggy branches that are thinner than a pencil, branches that cross each other, and all dead or diseased branches. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 July 2026 One of Noe’s younger boys stood on a ladder under the orange tree, plucking fruit from the branches and chucking them to the ground, scattering the chickens. — Literary Hub, 16 July 2026 Luna then tried to jump over Sandy to get back into the bowl of the nest, but Sandy lost her balance and flapped down to the lower branches. — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 16 July 2026 The family trees here have a lot of branches and some of them are a bit rotten. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 16 July 2026 Photographs capture her outline in the mud of a creek bank; in the snow blown against a tree trunk; in an arrangement of branches and flowers leaned against a tree; and in the sand on a beach, already being erased by the waves. — Eliza Goodpasture, ARTnews.com, 15 July 2026 Debris, including branches and grass, plastic bags and a cactus, covered the bank from the day earlier, when the river was several feet higher. — Jesse Bedayn, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026

Verb

His demise, paired with the disappearance of mobster-type Nicky Caccimelio (Bobby Cannavale), sets the trio on the first phase of their adventures, which inevitably branches into fresh red herrings in customary Only Murders fashion. — Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for branches

Noun

Heavy-duty mechanical hinges connect titanium-alloy limbs to a protective casing of carbon fiber, enabling smooth, deliberate strides on brutish red legs.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 23 July 2026
Benefits were even more significant for women who remained consistent in their resistance training long-term and trained both the upper and lower limbs.

— Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 23 July 2026

Definition of limbs

Noun

With the loss of local NBC affiliates, Telemundo, nine regional sports channels, and 32 national channels, Fubo made the sensible but rare decision to lower subscription prices in December.

— Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 17 July 2026
Conversely, nonbank affiliates become riskier, with depleted capital and increased risky lending.

— Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Definition of affiliates

Noun

The town is worried about the effect the wall would have on a series of berms and levees built in the 1970s and 1980s along the Rio Grande and tributaries to combat flooding.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 July 2026
By summer 1951, unusually heavy rainfall had overwhelmed existing and newly built flood-control structures along the Kansas, Marais des Cygnes, and Neosho rivers and their tributaries.

— Michelle Oliva-Espinosa, Kansas City Star, 18 July 2026

Definition of tributaries

Noun

As trial evidence accumulates, expect state health departments, Medicare wellness materials and Alzheimer’s advocacy groups to point more explicitly toward berries, tea and apples.

— Samantha Agate, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 July 2026
Medicare continues to pay significantly more for identical outpatient services in hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) than in independent physician offices or ambulatory surgery centers.

— Richard Menger MD MPA, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of departments

Verb

Besides, Beckham practically radiates the sort of star power that dispenses with the need for endless chatter; like Michael Jordan in his Hanes/Space Jam heyday, his physical presence takes precedent over the usual run of blunt-force loquacity.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 July 2026
Those tendrils are formed from plasma, or ionized gas, at temperatures in excess of a million degrees Fahrenheit, compared to the sun's visible surface, the photosphere, which radiates at about 9,932 degrees Fahrenheit (5,500 degrees Celsius).

— Keith Cooper, Space.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of radiates

Noun

The entire industry has struggled to converge in the way credit-rating agencies generally do.

— Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
Bigger picture But ultimately, many of these debris concerns could be mitigated with more responsible behaviors from space agencies and launch providers, Sorge said.

— Leonard David, Space.com, 22 July 2026

Definition of agencies

Verb

According to school officials, the change stems largely from concerns raised by the school system’s insurance carrier regarding the safety of continuing the overnight residential program.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 16 July 2026
Support individual stems with single bamboo stakes; multiple stems may benefit from a grow-through grid or tomato cage.

— Rita Pelczar, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 July 2026