fork

[ fawrk ]

noun

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 ( def ).
6. Machinery. yoke ¹( def 9 ).
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.

verb (used with object)

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)

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. Informal. to hand over; deliver; pay:

   Fork over the money you owe me!

fork

/ 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. of a road, river, etc
   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

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

Derived Forms

• ˈforkful, noun

Other Words From

• fork·less adjective
• fork·like adjective
• un·fork verb (used with object)

Word History and Origins

Origin of fork¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fork¹

Old English forca , from Latin furca

Example Sentences

And each ”classic utensil set” includes a fork, spoon, knife and chopsticks, for versatility.

From Los Angeles Times

The summer series against England could easily have gone another way with Marcus Smith's off-day off the tee in Dunedin an obvious fork in the road.

From BBC

“For the first four or five months I couldn’t really get my arm off my side, I couldn’t eat with a knife or fork, and I was only really bicep-curling 5kg.”

From BBC

I’m pretty sure I would have given him all of my potatoes had he maneuvered his fork in my direction.

From Los Angeles Times

No one wants to spend their hard-earned money on a dud product, or fork over cash for a bad meal.

From Salon