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

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Etymology

Origin of fork

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

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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

"Hardworking people shouldn't have to fork out for a subscription to watch this match," he wrote on X.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

Why am I paying this person many millions and having dull weekday lunches when I could just fork the whole operation over to Claude?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

If a normal-sized tuning fork had the same relative ability to sustain vibrations, it would continue ringing for several hours.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

And it didn’t take much after that for USC to stick a fork in Fresno State.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 5, 2026

“I’ll take care of that,” Mom said quietly, taking the plate and fork from him.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Nic Lambert forks out for school trips, food, clothes and "everything else in between".

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

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

After all, forks were a relatively late invention, and not always welcome.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2025

I place three forks and three plates on the table without clanking.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

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

From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026

So who are the losers, besides fans who have forked out high prices for tickets to see free-flowing, entertaining football - only for the game to be stopped in each half?

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 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

Some were so enticed by Koh they forked over copies of their ID cards, which then got used by other North Korean IT workers to grab more work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 16, 2026

He spent long periods bushwhacking over tangled mountains or following the wrong path when the trail forked.

From "A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson

But instead of forking over $30 for the piece of plastic, he spent a few cents on filament and cranked out a custom solution.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

And they could only leave after forking out a toll for safe passage.

From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026

The donors who’ve been forking it over are questioning whether Cornyn has plateaued.

From Slate ● Mar. 2, 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

She jumped down with the largest children, and they all started forking garbage from a heap into the cart, right on top of the inner tubes, Werfel, and Spurge.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

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