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branch

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The woody part of a tree that comes from the trunk and usually dividing.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

branch
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

bræntʃ

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. chiefly southern us

    A creek or stream which flows into a larger river.

  2. The woody part of a tree arising from the trunk and usually dividing.

  3. A location of an organization with several locations.

  4. A line of family descent, in distinction from some other line or lines from the same stock; any descendant in such a line.

  5. A stream or river connected to a larger one

  6. A tiny city in Franklin County, Arkansas.

verb

  1. Divide into two or more branches so as to form a fork

  2. Grow and send out branches or branch-like structures

  3. intransitive

    To arise from the trunk or a larger branch of a tree.

  4. intransitive

    To produce branches.

  5. transitive

    To strip of branches.

  6. transitivecolloquial

    To discipline (a union member) at a branch meeting.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The woody part of a tree arising from the trunk and usually dividing.

Used this way, branch is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use branch

  • “He broke off one of the branches.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Stream / creek

new branch

Line

branch line

Area

executive branchbranch office

Other combinations

special branchbundle brancholive branchbranch block

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • branchingnounInflected form

    The act of branching out or dividing into branches.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • branch waternounCompound term

    Pure natural water from a stream or brook.

  • branched chainnounCompound term

    An open chain of atoms with one or more side chains attached to it.

  • branched chain ketoacidurianounCompound term

    An inherited disorder of metabolism in which the urine has a odor characteristic of maple syrup.

  • branch linenounCompound term

    A railway line connected to a trunk line.

  • branch outverbCompound term

    Vary in order to spread risk or to expand.

Related Words

Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: creek

offshootsubdivision

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.