bilateral
Americanadjective
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pertaining to, involving, or affecting two or both sides, factions, parties, or the like.
a bilateral agreement; bilateral sponsorship.
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located on opposite sides of an axis; two-sided, especially when of equal size, value, etc.
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Biology. pertaining to the right and left sides of a structure, plane, etc.
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Chiefly Law. (of a contract) binding the parties to reciprocal obligations.
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through both parents equally.
bilateral affiliation.
noun
adjective
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having or involving two sides
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affecting or undertaken by two parties; mutual
a bilateral treaty
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denoting or relating to bilateral symmetry
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having identical sides or parts on each side of an axis; symmetrical
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sociol relating to descent through both maternal and paternal lineage Compare unilateral
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relating to an education that combines academic and technical courses
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a bilateral meeting
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bilateral
Explanation
When something is bilateral it has two sides or it affects both sides of something. Discussions between two political parties are called bilateral because both sides get to share their views. Bilateral comes from Latin: bi means "two" and lateralis means "belonging to the side." Debates about issues can be described as bilateral — as long as people on both sides get to speak. However, bilateral can describe anything with two sides, like some of the organs in the body: the brain, heart and lungs all have two distinct sides.
Vocabulary lists containing bilateral
It Takes Two: Bi
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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This Week In Words: August 8–14, 2020
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"An India-China bilateral would be very important -- if it takes place," said Pradeep Taneja, a China-India expert at the University of Melbourne.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Canada and the US have the world's largest bilateral trading relationship valued at nearly $900bn in 2025.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
In bilateral talks on Thursday, Burnham and Macron agreed they were making headway in reducing small boat crossings in the English Channel but now needed to go further.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
The U.S. ended up striking bilateral economic cooperation deals with both Armenia and Azerbaijan as a way of offering “sweeteners” to the peace negotiations, said Kvien, the former ambassador.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
All of our previous bilateral discussions had been laying the groundwork for these talks, which took place at the World Trade Centre, a modem exhibition center near Jan Smuts Airport in Johannesburg.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
