bilateral
[bahy-lat-er-uh l]
- pertaining to, involving, or affecting two or both sides, factions, parties, or the like: a bilateral agreement; bilateral sponsorship.
- located on opposite sides of an axis; two-sided, especially when of equal size, value, etc.
- Biology. pertaining to the right and left sides of a structure, plane, etc.
- Chiefly Law. (of a contract) binding the parties to reciprocal obligations.
- through both parents equally: bilateral affiliation.Compare unilateral(def 7).
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- Informal. a bilateral agreement, especially regarding international trade.
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Origin of bilateral
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for bilateral
Contemporary Examples
Now the question in Colombia, is, will a bilateral ceasefire be announced in coming days?
In the past, Santos has been stubbornly opposed to a bilateral ceasefire, but his position on the issue may be shifting.
Al-Huthaili is a dual citizen of the U.S. and Saudi Arabia and the two countries are not bound by a bilateral extradition treaty.
Kirby said this would include "exercises, bilateral meetings, port visits and planning conferences."
“This is a bilateral issue,” he said Wednesday through his spokesman, Martin Nesirsky.
Historical Examples
This is, in substance, an evasion of the bilateral provision in the constitution.
Memoir of the Life of John Quincy Adams.Josiah Quincy
The first three have bilateral, the last has radial symmetry.
Form and FunctionE. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell
Are not almost all brains a little wanting in bilateral symmetry?
Over the TeacupsOliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
In rare instances the eruption has been observed to be bilateral.
Essentials of Diseases of the SkinHenry Weightman Stelwagon
This is a bilateral contract, and either may sue the other for a breach.
Commercial LawSamuel Williston, Richard D. Currier, and Richard W. Hill
bilateral
- having or involving two sides
- affecting or undertaken by two parties; mutuala bilateral treaty
- denoting or relating to bilateral symmetry
- having identical sides or parts on each side of an axis; symmetrical
- sociol relating to descent through both maternal and paternal lineageCompare unilateral (def. 5)
- British relating to an education that combines academic and technical courses
- a bilateral meeting
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for bilateral
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
bilateral
(bī-lăt′ər-əl)- Having or formed of two sides; two-sided.
- Having or marked by bilateral symmetry.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.