prong

American  

[prawng, prong] / prɔŋ, prɒŋ /

noun

1. one of the pointed tines of a fork.

2. any pointed, projecting part, as of an antler.

   Synonyms:

   spur, tooth, hook

3. a branch of a stream.

4. Jewelry. a tapering metal projection, usually heavier than a claw, rising from the base of a jewelry setting and used to hold a stone in position as needed.

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verb (used with object)

1. to pierce or stab with or as if with a prong.

2. to supply with prongs.

prong British  

/ prɒŋ /

noun

1. a sharply pointed end of an instrument, such as on a fork

2. any pointed projecting part

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verb

1. (tr) to prick or spear with or as if with a prong

Other Word Forms

• pronged adjective

Etymology

Origin of prong

1400–50; late Middle English pronge, prange pain, affliction, pointed instrument; akin to Old Swedish prang gorge, narrow street, Middle Low German prange stake, prangen to press, Gothic anaprangan to oppress

Example Sentences

Close to 60 defendants have been convicted, and federal prosecutors last week charged the 78th person in a prong of the cases that authorities called “the largest Covid-19 fraud scheme in the country.”

From The Wall Street Journal

And that comes to the second prong of the agreement: rejecting certain credit cards.

From Barron's

Not long after, while she was working in her corner of the lot, the idea of “Diggin’ Bridge” and its various prongs and phases — from archive-building to a documentary production to exhibition — took hold.

From Los Angeles Times

A hospital near the border had already staked a fixator, a long metal rod with steel prongs on either end, into her leg to stabilize the bone and help control the bleeding.

From New York Times

The second prong of the campaign involved working directly with the district.

From Los Angeles Times