tuning fork

American  

noun

1. 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.

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tuning fork British  

noun

1. 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

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Etymology

Origin of tuning fork

First recorded in 1765–75

Example Sentences

Even if it meant a tuning fork was somehow involved.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2025

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

They also approached the spiders with a tuning fork that vibrated at the same frequency as the insects’ beating wings.

From Science Magazine • Dec. 4, 2024

Davis and a team of undergraduates from the Odum School used a tuning fork to simulate the vibrations caused by prey when caught in a spider's web and then watched if the spiders attacked.

From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2024

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