fork

American  

[fawrk] / fɔrk /

noun

• forks
  plural

1. 1. an instrument having two or more prongs or tines, for holding, lifting, etc., such as a utensil for handling food or any of various agricultural tools.

   2. something resembling or suggesting this in form.

2. a division into branches or the point where this division occurs.

   Bear left at the fork in the road.

   There’s a fork in the decision-making process for these two types of problem.

3. either of the branches into which a thing divides.

   The right fork will also get you to our farm, but by a longer route.

4. a principal tributary of a river.

5. tuning fork.

6. Machinery. yoke.

7. Horology. (in a lever escapement) the divided end of the lever engaging with the ruby pin.

8. the support of the front wheel axles of a bicycle or motorcycle, having two parallel prongs.

9. the barbed head of an arrow.

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verb (used with object)

• forks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forked,
  past participle,  past
• forking
  present participle

1. to pierce, raise, pitch, dig, etc., with a fork.

   I forked 50 bales into the hay wagon today.

   If you fork your lawn, the soil will absorb water more readily.

2. to make into the form of a fork.

3. Chess. to maneuver so as to place (two opponent's pieces) under simultaneous attack by the same piece.

   She managed to fork my rook and queen, and I lost the rook.

4. Computers. to copy the source code from (a piece of software) and develop a new version independently, resulting in two unique pieces of software.

   They forked the app and added another module.

verb (used without object)

• forks,
  present (3rd person singular)
• forked,
  past participle,  past
• forking
  present participle

1. to divide into branches.

   Turn left where the road forks.

2. to turn as indicated at a fork in a road, path, etc..

   Fork left and continue to the top of the hill.

verb phrase

1. fork over / out / up to hand over; deliver; pay.

   Fork over the money you owe me!

fork British  

/ fɔːk /

noun

1. a small usually metal implement consisting of two, three, or four long thin prongs on the end of a handle, used for lifting food to the mouth or turning it in cooking, etc

2. an agricultural tool consisting of a handle and three or four metal prongs, used for lifting, digging, etc

3. a pronged part of any machine, device, etc

4. 1. a division into two or more branches

   2. the point where the division begins

   3. such a branch

5. the main tributary of a river

6. chess a position in which two pieces are forked

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verb

1. (tr) to pick up, dig, etc, with a fork

2. (tr) chess to place (two enemy pieces) under attack with one of one's own pieces, esp a knight

3. (tr) to make into the shape of a fork

4. (intr) to be divided into two or more branches

5. to take one or other branch at a fork in a road, river, etc

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• forkful
  noun
• unfork
  verb (used with object)
• forkless
  adjective
• forklike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• forks
  plural

Participles

• forking
  present
• forked
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fork
  simple
• forks
  simple
• have forked
  perfect
• has forked
  perfect
• am forking
  progressive
• are forking
  progressive
• is forking
  progressive
• have been forking
  perfect progressive
• has been forking
  perfect progressive

Past

• forked
  simple
• had forked
  perfect
• was forking
  progressive
• were forking
  progressive
• had been forking
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fork
  simple
• will have forked
  perfect
• will be forking
  progressive
• will have been forking
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of fork

First recorded before 1000; Middle English forke, Old English forca, from Latin furca fork, gallows, yoke

Explanation

An eating utensil with several points or prongs is called a fork. If you aren't skilled at using chopsticks, you can ask the waiter at the Chinese restaurant to bring you a fork. In most Western households, forks are a basic part of a table setting — unless all you're eating is soup. There are different forks for different purposes, from a long, narrow fondue fork to a large, wide serving fork. There are also garden tools called forks, including pitchforks and hand-held pronged digging implements. Yet another kind of fork is the place where two roads or branches meet in a V shape. If you come to a fork in the road, you better know which direction to take.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fork forks forked forking

So when they go to school, it's not going to be just the three branded things, you're going to have to fork out for the full items.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

But eventually, the school convinced Kennedy to fork over $400,000 for the field, under the condition, he said, that he control all aspects of the construction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

Grab a fork and enjoy your salad straight out of the bag before saving any leftovers.

From Salon ● Jun. 29, 2026

Still, Mr. Musk’s investors fork over their money voluntarily.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

If I could break off some of the smaller branches and balance them across a fork in the lower boughs, I might be able to create a sleeping platform.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

Because we are turning 70 and have license to let loose, we order a single dessert with six forks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026

The researchers found that excess EXO1 destabilizes newly formed DNA through two main mechanisms, expanding single-stranded DNA gaps and degrading reversed replication forks.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026

There are other roadblocks and/or forks in the road people face in retirement, including a gradual decline in health, which could lead to the need to live in an assisted-living facility.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 24, 2026

And then there's cutlery - specifically the size of 'normal' forks, which to her make it look as though people are eating with a garden spade.

From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2025

Babou—and Mamou and Sohrab and Mom, for that matter—used forks and spoons, which is how a lot of Persians ate.

From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram

In 2022, the singer forked over $3.4 million for Cara and Poppy Delevingne’s Hollywood Hills property.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

By flicking their forked tongues, they collect chemical signals from the air that help them locate potential prey.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

At least a dozen people forked over approximately $190,000 to Bloom in 2021, the Los Angeles Police Department previously told The Times.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 5, 2026

"We reckon we'll have forked out an extra £12,000 by the time we leave," Andrea says.

From BBC ● Mar. 12, 2026

I raise my hand to shake out more, but a forked tail tears outta her backside and knocks the saltshaker from my hand.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

No. Endlessly forking over subscription dollars for app content seems like too much.

From Slate ● May 10, 2026

A borrower paying “in kind” accumulates unpaid interest by adding it to the amount of debt it owes or converting it to equity rather than forking over cash.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026

The only potential glitch in his 24-hour trip was that he had to avoid forking out for a hotel, which could have added an extra £400 to his bill.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2026

Mizuho analyst David Bellinger is saying it again: Walmart can win by using AI—without forking out billions itself to develop those tools.

From Barron's ● Feb. 9, 2026

Lon hadn’t known what the Book was, but he could feel his path forking before him: Down one path was the life of a street performer, spinning fortunes for spare change.

From "The Reader" by Traci Chee