branch
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.
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.
to divide into branches or sections.
to adorn with needlework; decorate with embroidery, as in textile fabrics.
branch out, to expand or extend, as business activities, pursuits, interests, etc.: The business is branching out into computers.
Origin of branch
1synonym study For branch
Other words for branch
Other words from branch
- branchless, adjective
- branchlike, adjective
- in·ter·branch, adjective
- mul·ti·branched, adjective
- outbranch, verb (used with object)
- un·branched, adjective
- un·branch·ing, adjective
- un·der·branch, noun
- well-branched, adjective
Other definitions for -branch (2 of 2)
a combining form for forming nouns and adjectives that denote gill formations or animals having gill formations.
Origin of -branch
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use branch in a sentence
Originally formed to protect its white inmates, members eventually branched out to include selling drugs, mostly meth.
How the Aryan Brotherhood Kills: From the Gang Signs to the Sanctioned Hits | Christine Pelisek | April 2, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTSome former factory owners have even branched out into “green landscaping.”
With a counter-part, Hawk, Don branched off and laid the foundations for what would eventually become the ZCompany Hacking Unit.
Sometimes the stems are quite bare; on other occasions they are partly branched; in any case the branches are short.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinTwo many-branched candelabra, holding wax lights, brilliantly illuminate the game.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3) | Charles James Wills
The seven-branched candlestick frequently occurs on the walls and tombs.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowHe swung into a decent-looking road that branched off to the left, wondering where it led, but not greatly caring.
Cabin Fever | B. M. BowerOn another found in the Jewish Catacomb is a representation of the seven-branched candlestick.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry Withrow
British Dictionary definitions for branch (1 of 2)
/ (brɑːntʃ) /
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 part: a branch of a deer's antlers
a subdivision or subsidiary section of something larger or more complex: branches 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
(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
Origin of branch
1- See also branch out
Derived forms of branch
- branchless, adjective
- branchlike, adjective
- branchy, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for branch- (2 of 2)
(in zoology) indicating gills: lamellibranch
Origin of branch-
2Collins 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
In addition to the idioms beginning with branch
- branch off
- branch out
also see:
- olive branch
- root and branch
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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