branch

branch1 [ bræntʃ ] noun count ***

▸ 1 part of tree

▸ 2 part of organization

▸ 3 part of area of study

▸ 4 part of family

▸ 5 part of river

1. ) a part of a tree that grows out of its TRUNK (=main stem) with leaves, flowers, or fruit growing on it. A very small branch is called a twig:

The wind rustled the bare branches of the trees.

2. ) a store or office representing a large company or organization in a particular area:

The store has branches in over 50 cities.

a branch manager

a ) the members of an organization, club, or political party in a particular area:

the president of the local branch of the Teamsters

the branch secretary/treasurer

b ) a department that performs a particular job or has a particular responsibility:

the anti-terrorism branch of the FBI

c ) a part of the government with a particular responsibility. The three branches of government are the legislative branch (=the legislature that makes laws), the executive branch (=the president who governs according to those laws), and the judicial branch (=the judges and courts who make certain that the laws are used correctly).

3. ) a part of a particular area of study or knowledge:

branch of: Mechanics is a branch of physics.

the branch of medicine that treats ailments of the stomach

4. ) a section of a family who are all related to one person who lived in the past:

branch of: One branch of Jane's family lives in San Francisco.

5. ) a part of a river that leads away from the main part: TRIBUTARY:

branch of: the larger branches of the Mekong River

branch

branch 2 [ bræntʃ ] verb intransitive *

to divide into two or more parts:

yellow flowers on branching stems

branch into: The road branched into four paths.

,branch `off phrasal verb intransitive or transitive

to leave the main part of something:

Lanes branch off the main road, leading to the coast.

A small group of soldiers branched off into the jungle.

,branch `out phrasal verb intransitive

to start doing something new or different:

Designers have branched out from clothes to cosmetics and toiletries.

branch out into: In the longer term, the company wants to branch out into providing investment advice.

branch out on your own: Quinn wanted to leave the company and branch out on his own.