1
: an implement with two or more prongs used especially for taking up (as in eating), pitching, or digging
2
: a forked part, tool, or piece of equipment
3
a
: a division into branches or the place where something divides into branches
b
4
: one of the branches into which something forks
5
: an attack by one chess piece (such as a knight) on two pieces simultaneously
forked; forking; forks
1
: to divide into two or more branches
where the road forks
2
a
: to use or work with a fork
b
: to turn into a fork
1
: to give the form of a fork to
forking her fingers
2
: to attack (two chessmen) simultaneously
3
: to raise, pitch, dig, or work with a fork
fork hay
4
: pay, contribute
—used with over, out, or up
had to fork over $5000
forker
noun
Synonyms
Examples of fork in a Sentence
Noun
a fork in the road
the north fork of the river
the front fork of a bicycle
Verb
The road forks to the north and south.
They forked the hay into the loft.
Recent Examples on the Web
Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Nearby, what was supposedly the world’s biggest silver fork was mounted on a wall.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Suyu was a fork of Yuzu, the emulator that Nintendo successfully sued, but this isn’t about Nintendo now having the rights to Yuzu’s code — or maybe even Nintendo at all?
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 22 Mar. 2024
Add the white miso paste and use a fork or back of a spoon to mash and dissolve it into the liquids.
—Adrienne Cheatham, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024
In the oven, just like with whole beets, the peel softens enough to be easily eaten with a knife and fork.
—Joe Yonan, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024
Add butter and work into flour with fingers or a fork, as if making pie dough.
—David Tanis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2024
Return to the oven and roast until the salmon registers 120 to 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Sprinkle mozzarella and feta cheeses over top and, using a fork, distribute the cheeses evenly into the egg mixture.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024
Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
Tired of forking over hundreds of dollars for cable channels that aren’t always available?
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Mar. 2024
But the lawsuits argue that doing away with a requirement to post compensation on a listing would lead to buyers paying their own agent’s commission, rather than having the sellers fork over cash to someone who represents the opposite side in a negotiation.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
The halcyon days where venture capitalists were content forking over billions to the latest AI startup, as researchers burned through cash with little to show for it, may be all but over.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 28 Mar. 2024
But on Monday, that figure was reduced at the eleventh hour by the state’s appellate court, and now Trump and his associates must fork over $175 million within 10 days of the ruling.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024
Now the amount that merchants fork over to Amazon is likely to grow even more thanks to a couple of additional fees that have quickly become controversial enough that the Federal Trade Commission has begun probing them, as Fortune reported exclusively last week.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
Bitcoin bettors must fork over $20 or more, and this number jumps to $30 for debit card users.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
Office, retail and dining spaces would fork over $9.08, $12.06 and $15.80 for every 1,000 square feet of space, respectively.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024
Noun
The teachers claimed there were no janitorial services or medical staff and that forks, jewelry and clothes that weren’t black or designed by West were banned.
—Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
Nearby, what was supposedly the world’s biggest silver fork was mounted on a wall.
—Lauren Collins, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Suyu was a fork of Yuzu, the emulator that Nintendo successfully sued, but this isn’t about Nintendo now having the rights to Yuzu’s code — or maybe even Nintendo at all?
—Sean Hollister, The Verge, 22 Mar. 2024
Add the white miso paste and use a fork or back of a spoon to mash and dissolve it into the liquids.
—Adrienne Cheatham, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024
In the oven, just like with whole beets, the peel softens enough to be easily eaten with a knife and fork.
—Joe Yonan, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024
Add butter and work into flour with fingers or a fork, as if making pie dough.
—David Tanis, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Mar. 2024
Return to the oven and roast until the salmon registers 120 to 125 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
—Kate Bradshaw, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024
Sprinkle mozzarella and feta cheeses over top and, using a fork, distribute the cheeses evenly into the egg mixture.
—Robin Miller, The Arizona Republic, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
But while shoppers forked up more money for their necessities, plenty of supermarkets pocketed the change.
—Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 27 Mar. 2024
Tired of forking over hundreds of dollars for cable channels that aren’t always available?
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Mar. 2024
But the lawsuits argue that doing away with a requirement to post compensation on a listing would lead to buyers paying their own agent’s commission, rather than having the sellers fork over cash to someone who represents the opposite side in a negotiation.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024
The halcyon days where venture capitalists were content forking over billions to the latest AI startup, as researchers burned through cash with little to show for it, may be all but over.
—Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune Asia, 28 Mar. 2024
But on Monday, that figure was reduced at the eleventh hour by the state’s appellate court, and now Trump and his associates must fork over $175 million within 10 days of the ruling.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Mar. 2024
Now the amount that merchants fork over to Amazon is likely to grow even more thanks to a couple of additional fees that have quickly become controversial enough that the Federal Trade Commission has begun probing them, as Fortune reported exclusively last week.
—Jason Del Rey, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024
Bitcoin bettors must fork over $20 or more, and this number jumps to $30 for debit card users.
—Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 11 Mar. 2024
Office, retail and dining spaces would fork over $9.08, $12.06 and $15.80 for every 1,000 square feet of space, respectively.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fork.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fork
Cite this Entry
“Fork.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fork. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fork
1 of 2 noun1
: a tool with two or more prongs used especially for taking up (as in eating), pitching, or digging
2
: a forked part or tool
3
a
: a dividing into branches or the place where something divides into branches
a fork in the road
b
: a branch of a fork
take the left fork
fork
2 of 2 verb1
: to divide into two or more branches
the road forks
2
: to raise or pitch with a fork
fork hay
3
: to give the form of a fork to
forked her fingers
4
: pay entry 1 sense 2, contribute
had to fork over $100
forker
noun
Medical Definition
fork
noun1
: a forked part, tool, or piece of equipment see tuning fork
2
: the lower part of the human body where the legs diverge from the trunk usually including the legs
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