Meaning & use
fork up
Last updated
Meaning
verbtransitive or intransitiveinformal
To pay money for something, especially when you do not want to.
Grammar: Can be used with or without an object: 'fork up $50' or just 'fork up'. When the object is a pronoun, it must go between 'fork' and 'up': 'fork it up'.
Patterns
- fork up something
- fork something up
- fork up for something
- fork up
I had to fork up $200 for the car repair.
The company forked up the money for the new computers.
He didn't want to fork up, but he had no choice.
Word forms
| third person singular | forks up |
|---|---|
| past tense | forked up |
| past participle | forked up |
| -ing form | forking up |
Common combinations
- fork up money
- The club had to fork up money for the damage.
- fork up for something
- We all forked up for the team gift.
- fork up the cash
- He refused to fork up the cash.
- have to fork up
- You'll have to fork up if you want a ticket.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- fork out phrasal verb
- Same meaning; more common in British English.
Commonly confused: fork up or fork over?
fork up vs fork over
American English equivalent, often used in the same informal way.
Practice
Complete the sentence: 'She didn't want to ______ up the money for the broken window.'
Choose one answer.
'Fork up' is the correct phrasal verb meaning to pay reluctantly. 'Pay' would need 'pay up' or 'pay for', 'spend' is used for money you use to buy things, and 'cost' is about the price of something, not the act of paying.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “fork up”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.