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 partners are forking out $78 million for the IP with Angel’s portion of the investment at about $31 million in cash, its first big move since merging with a SPAC for a public listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
—
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
In the meantime, the eyes of NHL owners have strayed south of the border, where a handful of American markets have reportedly expressed interest in forking over expansion fees that could one day eclipse $2 billion.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
As the grand prize has climbed, so too has the number of participants forking over $2 per ticket for a chance to win the life-altering jackpot.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
By comparison, forking over what could be a mortgage payment in the form of rent each month is akin to throwing money away.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Cats, while often viewed as aloof and independent, still need playtime, but before forking over hundreds of dollars for toys, one pet parent shared in a Reddit thread that some of the least expensive toys work out the best.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The Dawn of Semipublic Schools Parents who are forking over hefty sums so that their children can attend a private school will likely soon find their schools are semipublic institutions subsidized by federal school choice dollars — and more expensive in the bargain.
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
That requires forking over grocery money from whatever is left of the cash Trumplandia is mainlining from kids’ dinner plates to the Billionaire Boys Club.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025
Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2025
In the meantime, the eyes of NHL owners have strayed south of the border, where a handful of American markets have reportedly expressed interest in forking over expansion fees that could one day eclipse $2 billion.
—Julian McKenzie, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
As the grand prize has climbed, so too has the number of participants forking over $2 per ticket for a chance to win the life-altering jackpot.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
By comparison, forking over what could be a mortgage payment in the form of rent each month is akin to throwing money away.
—Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2025
Cats, while often viewed as aloof and independent, still need playtime, but before forking over hundreds of dollars for toys, one pet parent shared in a Reddit thread that some of the least expensive toys work out the best.
—Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Aug. 2025
The Dawn of Semipublic Schools Parents who are forking over hefty sums so that their children can attend a private school will likely soon find their schools are semipublic institutions subsidized by federal school choice dollars — and more expensive in the bargain.
—Marie Sapirie, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
That requires forking over grocery money from whatever is left of the cash Trumplandia is mainlining from kids’ dinner plates to the Billionaire Boys Club.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forking
Verb
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His teammates gave him parting gifts – two-run home runs from Hyeseong Kim and Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani’s 55th homer of the season – and sent Kershaw out a winner for the 223rd time as the Dodgers finished their regular-season schedule with a 6-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners.—
Bill Plunkett,
Oc Register,
28 Sep. 2025
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According to police, scammers are targeting older Bay Staters with a range of schemes aimed at parting them with their savings, from old-fashioned home improvement fraud to newer scams centered around cryptocurrency.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There are diverging plot points between the American version and British version, including different winners of the chess tournament.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Oct. 2025
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While the novel examines clashes between diverging approaches to justice, honor, and community, its looping chronology illustrates the inescapable ripples of national and family histories.—
The New Yorker,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Trudeau went through a public split of his own in 2023, separating from estranged wife Sophie Gregoire.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
14 Oct. 2025
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By separating, the two new entities should trade at multiples closer to their industry peers, and their combined values should be worth more than what DuPont currently trades at, which was around $76 per share on Monday for a market capitalization of about $32 billion.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Discussions have been held about dividing Madrid’s football operations from their business operations and letting speculators invest in the latter — although how (or if) that would work in practice is a moot point.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Needless to say, its overload of ideas — all rooted in reality, and true to the moment — did not land to universal praise, dividing audiences in the way that big, experimental films often tend to on the Riviera.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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As portfolio manager on the iShares Global Government Bond USD Hedged Active ETF (GGOV), Becker is making the case for spreading allocations out to governments around the globe.—
Michelle Fox,
CNBC,
13 Oct. 2025
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Even Swift’s mom, Andrea, got her close-up, bracelet stack and all, while spreading the friendship at Hard Rock Stadium.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forking. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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