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

Capt. Kevin May of the East Fork Fire Protection District and his crew had driven down from Douglas County, Nevada, to assist in the firefight.

From Los Angeles Times

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

Nick Anicich is the program manager for Farm to School, which is run out of the state Office of Farm to Fork.

From Salon