tine

American  

[tahyn] / taɪn /

especially British, tyne

noun

1. a sharp, projecting point or prong, as of a fork.

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tine British  

/ taɪn /

noun

1. a slender prong, esp of a fork

2. any of the sharp terminal branches of a deer's antler

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Other Word Forms

• tined
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of tine

before 900; late Middle English tyne, Middle English tind, Old English; cognate with Old High German zint, Old Norse tindr

Explanation

A tine is a prong, or a point. When you were little, you may have lined up your peas on the tines of your fork despite your parents telling you not to play with your food. The tines of a fork are what make it possible to spear pieces of food with it. Other objects with similarly sharp points can also be described as having tines — like a pitchfork or the antler of a deer. The pointed end on a dental tool is also called a tine. The origins of the word tine can be traced back to the Old English tind, which means "sharp point," and is related to the German word Zinne, or "pinnacle."

Example Sentences

For Alioune Tine, formerly the UN's independent expert on the human rights situation in Mali, the leader's statement was a "terrible admission of failure".

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

“Senegal is in real danger of plunging into violence and chaos,” said Alioune Tine, founder of Afrikajom Center, a West African think tank.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 9, 2024

"She is to us what Queen Elizabeth was to you," Danish journalist Tine Gotzsche told the BBC.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2023

“A time bomb was just deactivated,” Alioune Tine, a renowned Senegalese human rights figure, said about Mr. Sall’s renouncement.

From New York Times • Jul. 3, 2023

Willem was not there when I finally reached the big nursing home just after noon, but Tine and their twenty-two.year-old son Kik were.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom