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.

OTHER WORDS FOR branch

1 offshoot, shoot.

12 ramify, subdivide.

See synonyms for branch on Thesaurus.com

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There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

Other definitions 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. 2023

How to use branch in a sentence

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

Other 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

branch

OTHER WORDS FOR branch

Origin of branch

synonym study for branch

OTHER WORDS FROM branch

Other definitions for branch (2 of 2)

Origin of -branch

Words related to branch

How to use branch in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for branch (1 of 2)

Derived forms of branch

Word Origin for branch

British Dictionary definitions for branch (2 of 2)

Word Origin for branch-

Other Idioms and Phrases with branch