as in to divide
to set or force apart
the rise of cable television ramified the audience, creating ever smaller segments for an ever growing array of programming choices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 ramify
Derivatives also had the habit of magnifying volatility as the risk ramified from the underlying asset— interest rates, commodities, bonds—into the derivatives like a fuse setting off a bomb.
—
Scott Patterson, Fortune, 13 June 2023
The theme ramified in a couple of directions, including Alabama’s death row.
—al, 21 Feb. 2023
During Silkie’s tenure in our household, he was frequently held, extravagantly complimented, and housed in a twin set of terraria connected by an ever-ramifying system of bendable plastic tubes and kitted out with an exercise wheel and a lookout tower.
—Anne Fadiman, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023
For an object that is fundamentally a box, designed to keep things inside it, the shipping container is a remarkable lesson in the uncontainable nature of modern life—the way our choices, like our goods, ramify around the world.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022
The outcome of the Kings River conflict will ramify throughout the Central Valley and the state.
—Susie Cagle, Wired, 12 Apr. 2022
But in complex technological systems, small mistakes may rapidly ramify and compound into large problems.
—Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 16 Aug. 2021
But as the forking paths continue to ramify, Truth is to be found not in one place, but everywhere.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 5 Jan. 2021
Scott Patterson, Fortune, 13 June 2023
The theme ramified in a couple of directions, including Alabama’s death row.
—al, 21 Feb. 2023
During Silkie’s tenure in our household, he was frequently held, extravagantly complimented, and housed in a twin set of terraria connected by an ever-ramifying system of bendable plastic tubes and kitted out with an exercise wheel and a lookout tower.
—Anne Fadiman, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Feb. 2023
For an object that is fundamentally a box, designed to keep things inside it, the shipping container is a remarkable lesson in the uncontainable nature of modern life—the way our choices, like our goods, ramify around the world.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 30 May 2022
The outcome of the Kings River conflict will ramify throughout the Central Valley and the state.
—Susie Cagle, Wired, 12 Apr. 2022
But in complex technological systems, small mistakes may rapidly ramify and compound into large problems.
—Naomi Oreskes, Scientific American, 16 Aug. 2021
But as the forking paths continue to ramify, Truth is to be found not in one place, but everywhere.
—Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 5 Jan. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ramify
Verb
-
Party strategists in both camps acknowledge that a prolonged and bitter runoff could leave Republicans divided heading into the fall.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Committee members were split on proposals to close schools — divided between the belief that campuses with few students burden staff and provide limited resources, and the worry that combining small schools will create overcrowding, split communities and harm students.—
Molly Gibbs,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Proposition 50 also split the sprawling district held by Kiley, a Republican from Rocklin, into six pieces, leaving the Northern California congressman and frequent Newsom critic with few good options.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
However, in the aftermath of their legendary Woodstock performance, Country Joe and the Fish split up, and McDonald embarked on his own solo career beginning with 1969’s Thinking of Woody Guthrie, a collection of songs by the folk legend.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
According to his family’s attorney, Nikolas De Bremaeker, the boy was separated from the medical devices during the deportation process.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The line separating the two is blurry, as both star types experience winds and ejecta before dying.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Businesses that disconnect from societal needs won’t survive the next decade, but those that, whether quietly or publicly, deliver on their commitments—to their people, their communities, and the world—will be the ones that thrive.—
Sona Khosla,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The emails ask the user to take some kind of action, such as disconnecting or locking their vault.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ramify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ramify. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
