prong

1 of 2

noun

ˈprȯŋ How to pronounce prong (audio)
ˈpräŋ
1
: fork
2
: a tine of a fork
3
: a slender pointed or projecting part: such as
a
: a fang of a tooth
b
: a point of an antler
4
: something resembling a prong

prong

2 of 2

verb

pronged; pronging; prongs

transitive verb

: to stab, pierce, or break up with a pronged device

Examples of prong in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
One prong involves reminding voters of the chaos of the Trump years, which culminated in his supporters’ attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021,. David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 22 Mar. 2024 While other prongs of the lawfare campaign against Donald Trump are flailing or encountering timing issues, Letitia James has delivered. Rich Lowry, National Review, 21 Mar. 2024 The three prongs of the disease are nasal polyps, asthma and allergic reactions to most pain medications, progressing to anaphylactic shock. Joanne Fowler, Peoplemag, 13 Mar. 2024 The funding announced Tuesday is the latest distribution of the project's approximately $17 million committed to community organizations as part of its Neighborhood Infrastructure Strategy, one of two prongs that comprise its community benefits plan. Miriam Marini, Detroit Free Press, 23 Feb. 2024 The Rolex Awards for Enterprise and the Perpetual Planet initiative are just two prongs in a multi-prong effort that also witnesses Rolex working in partnership with the National Geographic Society to study climate change impact, and with Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue to save our oceans. Roberta Naas, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 The emergency order was one prong in the city’s approach to combating substance abuse, which includes opening a stabilization center and convening the Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission to divvy up national opioid lawsuit settlement dollars. Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 18 Feb. 2024 However, the Education Department’s position is that for borrowers who receive TPD discharges under the SSA or medical provider prongs, the debt is not considered discharged for tax purposes until after the three-year monitoring period ends. Adam S. Minsky, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Ah So Cork Puller and Bottle Opener, the two hard stainless steel prongs get wiggled between the glass bottle and cork. Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Feb. 2024
Verb
The chat reportedly suggested the members had strong ties to the police force, which then brought police corruption into the multi-pronged scandal. Caitlin Kelley, Billboard, 24 Mar. 2019 Apparently, there's now a new twist on the classic shape, looking a little more modern with an oval center stone and spiky pronged diamonds surrounding it. Katherine J. Igoe, Marie Claire, 2 Aug. 2019 The solutions, according to the Bay Area Equity Atlas report and Price’s work, have to be multi-pronged in order to really tackle the problems of housing affordability. Bay City News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2019 Few hardware manufacturers have convinced other game makers that their strange, proprietary chips—full of multi-pronged, work-in-tandem processors or cores—are worth those system-specific headaches. Sam MacHkovech, Ars Technica, 19 Sep. 2018 There’s no definitive diagnostic test for schizophrenia, so doctors will typically take a multi-pronged approach. Nina Bahadur, SELF, 15 Sep. 2018 Google, which has been under fire for being one of the biggest enablers of fake news, is now fighting back with a new multi-pronged, $300 million plan to elevate quality journalism. Alyssa Newcomb /, NBC News, 20 Mar. 2018 To answer these questions, the researchers launched a multi-pronged analysis. Scott K. Johnson, Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2018 The indictments of the 13 Russians relate to just one prong of a multi-pronged investigation. Jeff Darcy, cleveland.com, 20 Feb. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prong.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English pronge

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1785, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of prong was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near prong

Cite this Entry

“Prong.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prong. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

prong

noun
ˈprȯŋ,
ˈpräŋ
1
2
: one of the sharp points of a fork : tine
3
: a slender pointed part that sticks out (as on an antler)
4
: something resembling a prong
there are two prongs to the argument
pronged
ˈprȯŋd
ˈpräŋd
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on prong

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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