as in parting
to go or move in different directions from a central point
the road forks up ahead and you'll want to take the right fork
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Recent Examples of forking
The media and entertainment business has been forking over hefty sums to a wide range of leaders.
—
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
The Bulls couldn’t control the ball, forking over 20 turnovers.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
So The Abbey Inn, run by the same family, is a brilliant chance to experience the chef’s farm-to-fork experience without forking out for a tasting menu.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
National debt now exceeds $38 trillion, with the government forking out in excess of $270 billion in debt interest payments alone in the final three months of fiscal year 2025.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
Cosco Shipping is forking over $7 billion to China State Shipbuilding to build out 87 new vessels, expanding on the company’s already swollen order book.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 12 Dec. 2025
All of a sudden, cutting into a pork chop during a desert picnic or forking a salad in the Inner Hebrides offers more value.
—Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Critics, however, say the considerable costs have put pressure on AI to deliver stratospheric profits, but little evidence suggests businesses or everyday users will get enough value to warrant forking over a mountain of cash.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2025
So far, one of the losers appears to be OpenAI in a lawsuit from book authors, who have steadily been building a formidable case that may force the tech giant’s hand in forking over a big settlement ahead of trial.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 27 Apr. 2026
The Bulls couldn’t control the ball, forking over 20 turnovers.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026
So The Abbey Inn, run by the same family, is a brilliant chance to experience the chef’s farm-to-fork experience without forking out for a tasting menu.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026
National debt now exceeds $38 trillion, with the government forking out in excess of $270 billion in debt interest payments alone in the final three months of fiscal year 2025.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026
Cosco Shipping is forking over $7 billion to China State Shipbuilding to build out 87 new vessels, expanding on the company’s already swollen order book.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 12 Dec. 2025
All of a sudden, cutting into a pork chop during a desert picnic or forking a salad in the Inner Hebrides offers more value.
—Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Critics, however, say the considerable costs have put pressure on AI to deliver stratospheric profits, but little evidence suggests businesses or everyday users will get enough value to warrant forking over a mountain of cash.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 28 Nov. 2025
So far, one of the losers appears to be OpenAI in a lawsuit from book authors, who have steadily been building a formidable case that may force the tech giant’s hand in forking over a big settlement ahead of trial.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forking
Verb
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So, consider their timeless appeal and potential worth before parting ways with your music collection.—
Alexandra Kelly,
Martha Stewart,
26 Apr. 2026
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The first part is the dark clouds parting and the sun shining through and the patient, the people have a new world of opportunity and promise and health, and then comes the second half of the drug.—
Torie Bosch,
STAT,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Asia-Pacific markets were trading lower Friday, diverging from Wall Street's record-setting rally.—
Leonie Kidd,
CNBC,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Likewise diverging from the norm, a Retiarius on a pottery relief from Gaul, instead of being almost naked, wears a helmet, body armor, and greaves.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Next, Butac arranges a bunch of the beans on two trays and roasts them for a specific amount of time before separating the shells from the beans and then running the bean fragments, also known as nibs, through a mill.—
Ari Daniel,
NPR,
10 May 2026
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Still, robotics has a long history of inflated expectations, making many executives cautious about separating breakthrough potential from hype.—
Dr. Jonathan Reichental,
Forbes.com,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Calculated by dividing the number of at-bats by home runs.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Colbert grilled the former president on the topic dividing the city, baseball.—
Elyssa Kaufman,
CBS News,
6 May 2026
Verb
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But a few weeks into his vacation across the Atlantic Ocean, the Oregon doctor jumped into action caring for passengers after a deadly hantavirus outbreak began spreading through the ship, sickening the vessel’s doctor.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
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In spreading the wealth to a wider swath of hardware companies, investors are clearly betting that the bull market in AI has long legs and that data centers are going to need a wider array of advanced components for years to come.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
8 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forking. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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