fork Hear it!

fork Definition

fork (fôrk)

noun

  1. an instrument of greatly varying size with a handle at one end and two or more pointed prongs at the other: forks are variously used as eating utensils and for pitching hay, breaking up soil, etc.
  2. something resembling a fork in shape tuning fork
  3. a division into branches; bifurcation
  4. ☆ the point where a river, road, etc. is divided into two or more branches, or where branches join to form a river, road, etc.
  5. any of these branches

Etymology: ME forke < OE forca & Anglo-Fr forque (Fr fourche), both < L furca, two-pronged fork

intransitive verb

to divide into branches; be bifurcated where the road forks

transitive verb

  1. to make into the shape of a fork
  2. to pick up, spear, or pitch with a fork
  3. Chess to attack (two chessmen) simultaneously with a single chessman

fork Related Forms
fork·ful′ noun pl. -·fuls′
fork Idioms

fork over

Informal to pay out; hand over

fork Synonyms

fork

n.

  1. A furcated implement

    table fork, hay fork, pitchfork, manure fork, trident, prong, spear, scepter.

  2. A branch of a road or river

    bend, turn, crossroad, crotch, tributary, byway, junction, confluence, branch, stream, creek.

fork Usage Examples

Object

  • truck: Products are unloaded via fork lift truck or manually.
  • tongue: Following a nasty tongue biting accident, Minister was left with a forked tongue, which he still has to this day!
  • stanchion: Then pull it up, bringing the fork stanchion with it until it is in the right position, then tighten the clamp bolt.
  • buffet: We can cater for a full sit-down meal or provide a more casual finger or fork buffet.
  • lightning: Passing huge wild Water Buffalo on the shore, the sky to the west was darkening ominously, with dramatic streaks of fork lightning.
  • tail: A being with horns and a forked tail is a myth.

Converse of object

  • toast: Although they were key makers, they also in the early days made toasting forks.
  • tune: A tuning fork produces a single note - a pure sine wave.

Adjective modifier

  • telescopic: Suspension, front Type: 49 mm telescopic fork Describes the type of suspension.
  • inverted: Normally, inverted forks are much heavier than conventional forks.
  • two-pronged: The two-pronged fork is the ideal attachment for this work.
  • hydraulic: Its compliant 27mm hydraulic front fork provides responsive control and a smoothly assured ride in virtually all riding situations.
  • right-hand: Take the right-hand fork which runs down to join a track from the left.
  • rigid: Fork: Specialized Comp rigid fork with alloy legs.

Modifies a noun

  • buffet: Lunch will be held in a private function room with a fork buffet.
  • truck: The company was fined £ 30,000 and the fork truck driver was forced to take several weeks off work suffering from stress.
  • lift: Met Steve and his fork lift with extending boom.

Noun used with modifier

  • replication: In humans, replication forks move at about one hundred base pairs per second.
  • suspension: We normally have around 100 bikes on show and a huge range of suspension forks, clothing and accessories.

Particle object:

  • quid: It's hard not to be convinced when you've forked out 60 quid!
fork Quotes

He found that a fork in his inexperienced hand was an instrument of chase rather than capture.

—Wells, H(erbert) G(eorge)

Browse dictionary entries near fork

  1. forjudge
  2. forint
  3. forgotten
  4. forgot
  5. forgo
  6. forgiving
  7. forgiveness
  8. forgiven
  9. forgive
  10. forgivable
  1. forkball
  2. forked
  3. forked ringing
  4. forked tongue
  5. forklift
  6. forklift upgrade
  7. Forlì
  8. forlorn
  9. forlorn hope
  10. form