bifurcates

verb

present tense third-person singular of bifurcate
as in subdivides
formal to undergo division into two parts The stream bifurcated into two narrow winding channels.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bifurcates While designing the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, in the 1990s, the architect would sit by the river that bifurcates the city, looking at different metal treatments. — Belinda Luscombe, Time, 6 Dec. 2025 For example, Highway 17 currently bifurcates a piece planners hope to lock in through Los Gatos. — San Francisco Chronicle, 30 July 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bifurcates
  1. divides
  2. separates
  3. splits
Verb
  • When a river divides to move around a rock, speeds change and voids form; water falls over itself and may start to rotate.
    — Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The site divides itself into two hills roughly 1,500 feet apart.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of divides
Verb
  • The Day-One Problem When a business unit separates from its parent, the strategy, customer relationships and distribution channels go with it.
    — Sami Nomair, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Figuring out how to plan weekly meals without a full kitchen is what separates a semester fueled by vending machine potato chips from one where your brain actually works in class.
    — Lauren Schuster, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of separates
Verb
  • After a competition win, Fujino remarks that her dream was to see her manga animated, a comment that temporarily splits the two central characters.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Wavecamper Wavecamper completes the driver's side construction with a removable table that splits the slide-adjustable rear seats and swivel front seats and a roof-high rear wardrobe for storage.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of splits

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Cite this Entry

“Bifurcates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bifurcates. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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