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
John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2025
Not only is Mexico the U.S.'s single largest bilateral trading partner, even ahead of China, but cooperation on drug enforcement and migration also key.
—ABC News, 2 Feb. 2025
India, the world's fifth-largest economy, aims to boost bilateral trade with the U.S. while reducing dependence on China.
—Kyra Colah, Fox News, 29 Jan. 2025
Thailand expects to complete its inaugural high-speed rail network by 2030, establishing a direct link to China through Laos, a project long heralded by officials as pivotal for enhancing bilateral relations and trade between the two nations.
—Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bilateral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bilateral. Accessed 12 Feb. 2025.
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