tuning fork

noun

: a 2-pronged metal implement that gives a fixed tone when struck and is useful for tuning musical instruments and ascertaining standard pitch

Illustration of tuning fork

Examples of tuning fork in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Davis used tuning forks to simulate prey vibrations near roadsides and found the spiders’ overall health was unaffected by urban stressors. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026

Like the best sketch comedians, O’Hara was possessed of an impeccable internal tuning fork, and much of her best work came out of an almost musical sense of delivery. —Rachel Syme, New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2026

But artists just serve as a tuning fork to heal, as a tuning fork to dream. —Senior Editor, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Nov. 2025

Thanks to Euclid, our view of the galactic tuning fork is changing and becoming far more detailed, leading to a better understanding of galactic structure and evolution. —Robert Lea, Space.com, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1799, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tuning fork

• bork
• dork
• pork
• stork
• torque
• pitchfork

Kids Definition

tuning fork

noun

: a metal instrument that gives a fixed tone when struck and is useful in tuning musical instruments

Medical Definition

tuning fork

noun

tun·​ing fork ˈt(y)ün-iŋ- 

: a 2-pronged metal implement that gives a fixed tone when struck