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

Ancient spruce and hemlock trees stretched hundreds of feet high, casting off strands of lichen from their branches like flowing locks of hair. — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 14 Nov. 2026 After the initial story broke in The New York Times in 2010, Blumenthal held a press conference at the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall in West Hartford with veterans from various branches of the service standing with him. — Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 13 Nov. 2026 The Academy has 19 branches, and each nominates within its own discipline. — Clayton Davis, Variety, 13 Nov. 2026 Come winter, when the woods go bare and the village shows through the branches, Sidon would bet the houses do get used, songbirds crowding in two and three at a time for warmth. — Shax Riegler, Architectural Digest, 13 Nov. 2026 The three Democrats appeared side by side in a display of unity between two branches of government with a sometimes-prickly relationship. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026 Foliage grows on branches spreading out in tall canopies, while shrub growth is lower to the ground. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2026 In a bizarre turn of events, on Wednesday November 4th, New York City’s Queens Public Library (QPL) system, which operates 66 branches, experienced an attack on its online networks by a hacker. — Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2026 Ueno’s app, cards and transfers went dark and its branches locked their doors, leaving desperate depositors lined up outside with no way to cash out their savings. — ABC News, 5 Nov. 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

Tear limbs from mutants and use their abilities as weapons and tools to survive deadly lab experiments.

— Jennifer Maas, Variety, 10 Nov. 2026
Curls in the wind, limbs lighter than air, restless in pure pasture.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026

Definition of limbs

Noun

Such opinions are based upon information the analysts consider reliable, but neither CNBC nor its affiliates and/or subsidiaries warrant its completeness or accuracy, and it should not be relied upon as such.

— , CNBC, 4 Nov. 2026
For the affiliates sending traffic to merchants, our scale was a gift.

— Stephen Messer, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of affiliates

Noun

As a whole, dispersed across the World Wide Web, its river and tributaries, the words and images and videos form a new corpus of word and art.

— Sam Kestenbaum, Harpers Magazine, 27 Oct. 2026
But stocks have got so low that, in 2024, the Alaska government, in conjunction with Canada, shut down fishing for king salmon on the Yukon River and its Canadian tributaries for seven years—one complete king-salmon life cycle.

— Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of tributaries

Noun

Swatting calls are usually made to police departments or courthouses, Heinze explains.

— Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 11 Nov. 2026
Before that, Darchiev headed the Foreign Ministry’s departments of North America and the North Atlantic; served as ambassador to Canada; and was a minister-counselor at the Washington embassy.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of departments

Noun

One minute of stimulation with a 9V battery killed more than 80% of bacterial cells within three hours.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
Meanwhile, in male mice, the researchers found a cluster of eosinophils that tended to develop more when they were fed a diet high in fat, and that these populations of immune cells were pro-inflammatory.

— Jasmine Laws, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of cells

Noun

But that order affects only what federal agencies can procure, and a company can opt out of being a federal contractor.

— Tal Feldman, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2026
The information helps researchers identify collision hotspots and provides transportation agencies with data to guide safety improvements.

— Daniel Hunt, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2026

Definition of agencies

Verb

Nastanovich suggests this tremendous shift in attitude and approach stems directly from Malkmus, whose late-20s nervousness has eased, who has relaxed like a quarterback comfortable with lingering in the pocket a little longer.

— Grayson Haver Currin, Pitchfork, 10 Nov. 2026
These apple cores, banana peels and grape stems ultimately head to Lovin's outdoor compost bin.

— CBS News, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026