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branch

[ branch, brahnch ]

/ bræntʃ, brɑntʃ /

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See synonyms for: branch / branched / branches / branching on Thesaurus.com

noun

a division or subdivision of the stem or axis of a tree, shrub, or other plant.

a limb, offshoot, or ramification of any main stem: the branches of a deer's antlers.

any member or part of a body or system; a section or subdivision: the various branches of learning.

a local operating division of a business, library, or the like.

a line of family descent stemming from a particular ancestor, as distinguished from some other line or lines from the same stock; a division of a family.

a tributary stream or any stream that is not a large river or a bayou.

Chiefly South Midland and Southern U.S. branch water (def. 2).

Linguistics. (in the classification of related languages within a family) a category of a lower order than a subfamily and of a higher order than a subbranch or a group, as the Germanic branch of Indo-European.Compare group (def. 4a).

Computers. a point in a computer program where the computer selects one of two or more instructions to execute, according to some criterion.

Nautical. a warrant or license permitting a pilot to navigate in certain waters.

verb (used without object)

to put forth branches; spread in branches.

to divide into separate parts or subdivisions; diverge: The main road branches off to the left.

to expand or extend, as business activities: The bank has plans to branch throughout the state.

verb (used with object)

to divide into branches or sections.

to adorn with needlework; decorate with embroidery, as in textile fabrics.

Verb Phrases

branch out, to expand or extend, as business activities, pursuits, interests, etc.: The business is branching out into computers.

SYNONYMS FOR branch

1 offshoot, shoot.

12 ramify, subdivide.

See synonyms for branch on Thesaurus.com

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Shoelaces, rainbow, toothpaste, and haircuts are all what type of noun?

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countable

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Origin of branch

1250–1300; Middle English bra(u)nche<Anglo-French; Old French branche<Late Latin branca paw, of uncertain origin

synonym study for branch

1. Branch, bough, limb refer to divisions of a tree. Branch is general, meaning either a large or a small division. Bough refers only to the larger branches: a bough loaded with apples. A limb is a large primary division of a tree trunk or of a bough: to climb out on a limb.

OTHER WORDS FROM branch

branchless, adjectivebranchlike, adjectivein·ter·branch, adjectivemul·ti·branched, adjective

outbranch, verb (used with object)un·branched, adjectiveun·branch·ing, adjectiveun·der·branch, nounwell-branched, adjective

Words nearby branch

Bramley, Brampton, Bramwell, bran, Branagh, branch, branch cut, branched chain, branched chain ketoaciduria, brancher deficiency amylopectinosis, brancher enzyme

Definition for branch (2 of 2)

-branch

a combining form for forming nouns and adjectives that denote gill formations or animals having gill formations.

Origin of -branch

<French -branche, New Latin -branchia, from Latin branchiae “gills” (see branchia)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

VOCAB BUILDER

What is a basic definition of branch?

A branch is a protruding part of a tree, something that juts out from a main part, or a division of a group or organization. The word branch has many other senses as a noun and a verb.

For most trees, underground roots connect to the thick trunk that extends toward the sky. Jutting out of the trunk are branches, smaller limbs of the tree. Main branches, also called boughs, have smaller extensions with leaves on them. These are also called branches, but more often called twigs.

Used in a sentence: I watched my cat climb the branches of the oak tree.

Branch also refers to similar offshoots from objects that aren’t trees.

Used in a sentence: The rope got tangled in the branches of the buck’s antlers.

In a more figurative sense, branch is used to mean a division of a main group or organization.

Real-life examples: The Army, Navy, and Air Force are three major branches of the United States military. Botany, zoology, and microbiology are three major branches of biology.
Used in a sentence: We learned in history class that the government is divided into three branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.

Where does branch come from?

The first records of branch come from around 1250. It ultimately comes from the Late Latin branca, meaning “paw” or “foot.”

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to branch?

branchless (adjective)
branchlike (adjective)
multibranched (adjective)
outbranch (verb)
unbranched (adjective)
underbranch (noun)

What are some synonyms for branch?

What are some words that share a root or word element with branch?

What are some words that often get used in discussing branch?

How is branch used in real life?

Branch is a common word that most often means a tree limb or something that splits off from a main part.

I just saw four nuns breaking down a giant, fallen branch with a hacksaw, and it made my day.

— Har Mar Superstar (@HarMarSuperstar) January 13, 2021

If you don't need to leave your house today, don't. Play with your dog inside, PLEASE don't take them on a walk. It's not worth getting hit by falling branches.

— Erin Robinson (@ImErinRobinson) January 13, 2021

The Toronto branch of the public library of Steubenville and Jefferson County will be closed today, tomorrow and Wednesday due to a staff member testing positive for Covid-19. The library will be cleaned and sanitized and is expected to reopen Thursday.

— WTOV NEWS9 (@WTOV9) January 11, 2021

Try using branch!

True or False?

A branch is the main part of something that other divisions will split off from.

Example sentences from the Web for branch

The new safety branch of California’s Public Advocate Office has lodged some of its first complaints against SDG&E’s wildfire mitigation plans, arguing that it lacks credible science and could actually make wildfires worse.
Morning Report: Power Company Challenged on Fire Prevention Plans|Voice of San Diego|August 25, 2020|Voice of San Diego
In heavily forested Northern California, where trees tower over power lines in some cases, branches can fall on a line and cause a spark.
Watchdog Warns: SDG&E’s Tree-Trimming Plan Could Worsen Wildfires|MacKenzie Elmer|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
That’s because the independent agency of the executive branch is a service that touches every person in the country, every residence, and every business.
Slowed mail delivery is the last thing indie bookstores need right now|Rachel King|August 19, 2020|Fortune
With bank branches closed, it has been harder to make large cash deposits.
The pandemic has changed how criminals hide their cash—and AI tools are trying to sniff it out|Will Heaven|August 6, 2020|MIT Technology Review

Its branches have donated to Republican politicians and it controversially purchased the Silent Sam Confederate statue that was torn down at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
What Trump Could Learn From NASCAR|Clare Malone (clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com)|July 30, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
And that solution came from a homemade brew Branch and her sister created together.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45|Danielle Belton|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Through her haircare line, named for her grandmother, Jessie Branch, Titi Branch was revolutionary.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45|Danielle Belton|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Branch helped women feel beautiful by encouraging them to embrace their natural selves as she had.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45|Danielle Belton|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Branch grew up in Queens, NY, the daughter of an African American man and a Japanese woman.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45|Danielle Belton|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But at 45, Branch died of a reported suicide, leaving behind family, friends and a legacy that goes beyond the beauty industry.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45|Danielle Belton|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I had those words in my thoughts four years ago, when I cut him down from the branch of the Patriarch.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
Each seems satisfied with the way his own branch is getting on: Winter is the quicker worker.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
A girl was moved to pity by a picture of a lamb caught in a thicket, and tried to lift the branch that lay across the animal.
Children's Ways|James Sully
The senior branch of the family being thus extinct the whole of the entailed estate had devolved on me.
Uncanny Tales|Various
It is wonderful how long a withered leaf will sometimes cling to its branch.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various

British Dictionary definitions for branch (1 of 2)

branch

/ (brɑːntʃ) /

noun

a secondary woody stem arising from the trunk or bough of a tree or the main stem of a shrub

a subdivision of the stem or root of any other plant

an offshoot or secondary parta branch of a deer's antlers

a subdivision or subsidiary section of something larger or more complexbranches of learning; branch of the family
(as modifier)a branch office

US any small stream

maths a section of a curve separated from the rest of the curve by discontinuities or special points

Also called: jump computing a departure from the normal sequence of programmed instructions into a separate program area

an alternative route in an atomic or nuclear decay series

verb

(intr) (of a tree or other plant) to produce or possess branches

(intr usually foll by from) (of stems, roots, etc) to grow and diverge (from another part)

to divide or be divided into subsidiaries or offshoots

(intr often foll by off) to diverge from the main way, road, topic, etc

Derived forms of branch

branchless, adjectivebranchlike, adjectivebranchy, adjective

Word Origin for branch

C13: from Old French branche, from Late Latin branca paw, foot

British Dictionary definitions for branch (2 of 2)

branch-

adj combining form, n combining form

(in zoology) indicating gillslamellibranch

Word Origin for branch-

from Latin: branchia

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

Medical definitions for branch

branch

[ brănch ]

n.

An offshoot or a division of the main portion of a structure, especially that of a nerve, blood vessel, or lymphatic vessel; a ramus.

Idioms and Phrases with branch

branch

In addition to the idioms beginning with branch

branch off
branch out

also see:

olive branch
root and branch

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branch