bilateral
adjective
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Since the prefix bi- means "two" in Latin, bilateral means essentially "two-sided". In the days when there were two superpowers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union regularly engaged in bilateral arms negotiations; such negotiations are much less common today. Sometimes bilateral refers to two sides of the same thing. A bilateral hip replacement, for instance, replaces both hip bones in the same operation. And bilateral symmetry (a term often used by biologists) refers to the fact that, in many organisms (such as humans), the left side is basically the mirror image of the right side.
Examples of bilateral in a Sentence
Paul Newman, New York Times, 18 June 2025
Trump's early departure from the summit means bilateral meetings with the leaders of Mexico and Ukraine are canceled.
—Kinsey Crowley, USA Today, 17 June 2025
Beyond Carney and Starmer, Trump had bilateral meetings or pull-aside conversations with Merz, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 17 June 2025
Advertisement Thailand has pushed for a more bilateral approach, with a Joint Boundary Commission (JBC) established in 2000 to help resolve border disputes.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bilateral
Cite this Entry
“Bilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bilateral. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
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