bisect

American  

[bahy-sekt, bahy-sekt, bahy-sekt] / baɪˈsɛkt, ˈbaɪ sɛkt, ˈbaɪ sɛkt /

verb (used with object)

• bisects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bisected,
  past participle,  past
• bisecting
  present participle

1. 

   to cut or divide into two equal or nearly equal parts.

2. Geometry. to cut or divide into two equal parts.

   to bisect an angle.

3. to intersect or cross.

   the spot where the railroad tracks bisect the highway.

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verb (used without object)

• bisects,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bisected,
  past participle,  past
• bisecting
  present participle

1. to split into two, as a road; fork.

   There's a charming old inn just before the road bisects.

noun

1. Also called split. Philately. a portion of a stamp, usually half, used for payment of a proportionate amount of the face value of the whole stamp.

bisect British  

/ baɪˈsɛkt /

verb

1. (tr) maths to divide into two equal parts

2. to cut or split into two

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bisect Scientific  

/ bī′sĕkt′,bī-sĕkt′ /

1. To cut or divide into two parts, especially two equal parts.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bisection
  noun
• bisectional
  adjective
• bisectionally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• bisecting
  present
• bisected
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bisect
  simple
• bisects
  simple
• have bisected
  perfect
• has bisected
  perfect
• am bisecting
  progressive
• are bisecting
  progressive
• is bisecting
  progressive
• have been bisecting
  perfect progressive
• has been bisecting
  perfect progressive

Past

• bisected
  simple
• had bisected
  perfect
• was bisecting
  progressive
• were bisecting
  progressive
• had been bisecting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bisect
  simple
• will have bisected
  perfect
• will be bisecting
  progressive
• will have been bisecting
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of bisect

1640–50; bi- ¹ + -sect < Latin sectus, past participle of secāre to cut, sever; see section

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Explanation

When you cut something in half or in two pieces, you bisect it. You can bisect a cupcake so that you and a friend get equal pieces. In Latin, bi means "two" and secare means "to cut." That's why the verb bisect means "divide into two equal pieces." You might bisect your garden, planting half with vegetables and half with flowers, or tape a line on your bedroom floor to bisect the space into two sides — yours and your horrible sister's. In geometry, the word bisect means the same thing, to split something into equal halves.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bisect bisects bisected bisecting

Cast-stone columns with ornate capitals bisect the thresholds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The loss of New York and advance of British troops from Canada threatened to bisect the colonies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

When these acoels reproduce asexually, they first bisect themselves.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2024

"For your safety, take this next opportunity to move south beyond Wadi Gaza," the military announced, referring to the wetlands that bisect the strip.

From Reuters ● Nov. 7, 2023

According to the map this canal should bisect the Wellteco Canal, which will turn south and flow all the way to the ocean.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

Mr. Robb’s excellent maps expose their geological foundation: the limestone belt that bisects England from the upper right to the lower left.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

Soldiers also entered the Netzarim Corridor, which runs roughly four miles and bisects the enclave just south of Gaza City.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2025

H. dorsalis hails from the mountains of Northern Borneo and features a conspicuous dark stripe that begins atop its head and bisects its back before fading around mid-body.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 21, 2023

He admitted it was a "very lucky" finish to his round after his drive bounced out of the creek that bisects the 18th fairway.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2023

Past downtown, a single road bisects the highway, and on that road sits Roscoe’s lone neighborhood and an elementary school.

From "Paper Towns" by John Green

Minutes later, England were lucky not to concede a similar try when a pass bisected Jess Breach and Jones, who pounced on the ball just before Lizzie Gibson got to it.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Shafter is the only city that would be bisected by the proposed route without getting a station.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026

“It’s right here,” glaciologist Alison Criscitiello says, pointing to a nearly invisible gray smudge behind the glass, on a 5-foot-long, 1,550-year-old bisected cylinder of ice.

From Slate ● May 8, 2026

An Instagram account with millions of views shows a woman in swimsuits and gymwear whose body is bisected by vitiligo so she is exactly half white and half brown.

From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026

She went about picking tools off the shelf, holding them in the air so the sunlight bisected them.

From "Tradition" by Brendan Kiely

Humanitarian workers have to carry out special co-ordination to cross the Israeli military zone bisecting the territory.

From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2025

As leaders of Seattle’s ethnic-business communities, we remember the sweeping impacts of past infrastructure decisions, whether it was highways bisecting or leveling communities of color, or leaving neighborhoods under served and underdeveloped.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 9, 2024

Ms. Ibarra’s route to the dialysis center is a slice of Central Valley life, bisecting miles of pistachio and almond orchards, and cotton fields shedding fluff along the shoulders.

From New York Times ● Jun. 16, 2023

A street with the simple name of Tsentralna — Central — cuts a straight line through Borodyanka, bisecting neighborhoods of modest wood or brick homes that give way to forests and fields.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 15, 2022

He draws two question marks at odd angles bisecting each other.

From "Challenger Deep" by Neal Shusterman

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