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
The Copyright Office is part of the legislative branch, housed within the Library of Congress. Peter Aitken gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025 The change applies to sub-Cabinet, ambassador and executive branch nominees. Barbara Sprunt, NPR, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
Wide open areas with branching paths and extremely verticality are key to Metroidvania games like Hollow Knight, but usually the pleasure derived from unlocking a previously dead-end space comes from having an interconnected world. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025 In these animals, astrocytes in a key brain region, the hypothalamus, lose some of their branching structures. Pranjal Malewar, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for branch
Recent Examples of Synonyms for branch
Noun
  • The iguanas are known for their distinctive casque (helmet-like crest) and long, thin limbs.
    Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Silicon Valley was, of course, the initial heart of the tech sector, but AI appears to have longer limbs, reaching into cities and sectors where basic tech is now retreating.
    Diana Olick, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Getty Images Leading Chinese contenders were BYD, the world’s biggest maker of EVs, Stellantis affiliate Leapmotor, and Xpeng.
    Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium.
    Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In March 2019, Clover Flat Land Fill spilled 40,000 gallons of leachate into nearby streams, which are tributaries of the Napa River, Haley said in a news release.
    Bay City News, Mercury News, 13 Sep. 2025
  • Potamopyrgus antipodarum, or New Zealand mudsnails, were found at two tributaries of the Monongahela River in Allegheny County, Peters Creek and Turtle Creek, according to the report.
    Jennifer Rodriguez, Kansas City Star, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The sound department actually played the music that would overlay the scene as Dockery acted.
    Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025
  • This program comes at a critical time for the automotive industry, as employers increasingly need to develop worker skills and standardize AI usage across departments.
    Malana VanTyler, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Gynecological Conditions Problems in the female reproductive organs can cause radiating pain to the lower right back.
    Brandi Jones, Health, 6 Sep. 2025
  • How to change a system with a prototype Walton and Makhija’s ambitions start locally, but quickly radiate outwards.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The medication works by destabilizing mast cells, or allergy cells, to decrease allergic inflammation, says Rauno Joks, MD, an allergist and immunologist at NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County in Brooklyn, New York, who was not involved in the study.
    Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Typical treatment uses an oxygen mask or hyperbaric chamber to overwhelm the body with oxygen, pushing the carbon monoxide molecules off the hemoglobin cells so that oxygen can attach instead.
    Sara Novak, Scientific American, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Nor does the executive order bar any federal agency from continuing to offer its services, websites, and materials in Spanish, Mandarin, Arabic, or hundreds of other languages spoken across the country.
    Doug Melville, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • The partial closure order was coordinated with the Fresno County Sheriff's Office, along with multiple local, state, and federal agency cooperators, to identify the minimum area necessary for the safety of firefighting resources and forest visitors.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Their interest in jewelry stemmed less from a fascination with the shiny-ness of it all, and more from a love of form, drawn to the sculptural possibilities of jewelry as wearable art.
    Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • To store fresh dill leaves, wrap the cut dill stems loosely in a damp paper towel and store it in a resealable bag in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Branch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/branch. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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