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.

---

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

---

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

Explanation

A prong, like a spike, a tine, or a spoke, is something that sticks out and is pointy. The prongs of your fork are useful for spearing food and delivering it to your mouth. Besides forks, many other objects have prongs, from hoes and rakes to electrical plugs to an animal's horns or antlers (in fact there's a specific group of antelopes commonly called pronghorns). Before it was spelled prong, the word was prange, "pointed instrument," from the Anglo-Latin pronga, "pointed tool," and possibly the Germanic prange, "stick."

Example Sentences

And that’s the next prong of the attack—that the Fed staff simply isn’t doing that correctly.

From Barron's • Feb. 19, 2026

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 • Dec. 5, 2025

This brings us to the next behavioral prong of CBT-I: changing your habits for getting in and out of bed.

From Slate • Jul. 19, 2025

Dong is especially excited about SinoProbe II’s third prong: ultradeep drilling.

From Science Magazine • Nov. 17, 2024

Jessie took one prong off the nail of one lemon so as not to waste valuable citric acids, then laid her project out on a tray, and they brought their gifts upstairs.

From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser