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tuning fork

American

noun

a steel instrument consisting of a stem with two prongs, producing a musical tone of definite, constant pitch when struck, and serving as a standard for tuning musical instruments, making acoustical experiments, and the like.

tuning fork British

noun

a two-pronged metal fork that when struck produces a pure note of constant specified pitch. It is used to tune musical instruments and in acoustics

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tuning fork

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

tuning fork

She begins two weeks before the airport car shows up at her door and fills multiple suitcases with many more clothes than she’ll wear, snacks, even a tuning fork.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2025

On average, the spiders shot their web at the live prey when it came within 1.5 centimeters of their web, and at the tuning fork when it was 2.9 centimeters from their web.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 4, 2024

In the handle of the tuning fork are the largest galaxies.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 21, 2023

To film Ariel’s underwater sequences, she repeatedly simulated swimming motions while suspended in harnesses and tuning fork rigs.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 12, 2023

She picked up the mallet and put all of her anger into a single, powerful strike at the tuning fork.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023