fork

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A tool with a handle and several thin pointed parts, used for eating, serving, or lifting food.

   Grammar: Countable: one fork, two forks.

   Patterns

   • a knife and fork
   • with a fork
   • pick something up with a fork

   She set the table with a knife and fork for each guest.

   Use a fork to turn the meat while it cooks.

   He dropped his fork on the floor and asked for a clean one.

2. 2nouncountable

   A place where a road, path, or river splits into two or more branches.

   Grammar: Often used with 'in' or 'of': a fork in the road.

   Patterns

   • a fork in the road
   • take the left fork
   • at the fork

   Turn right at the fork and follow the signs to the village.

   The hikers stopped at the fork to check their map.

   There is a fork in the river just past the old mill.

3. 3verbintransitive

   To divide into two or more branches, or to make something do this.

   Grammar: No object; often used of roads, rivers, or paths.

   Patterns

   • the road forks
   • fork left
   • fork into two

   The trail forks about a mile ahead, so keep to the left.

   The river forks near the border and joins again downstream.

   We forked right and soon reached the farm.

4. 4nouncountabletechnical

   A tool or part of a machine with two or more prongs, used for digging or lifting.

   Grammar: Often used in compounds like 'garden fork' or 'tuning fork'.

   Patterns

   • a garden fork
   • a tuning fork
   • use a fork to dig

   He used a garden fork to turn over the soil.

   A tuning fork produces a pure musical note when struck.

   The forklift's forks slid under the pallet.

Word forms

Common combinations

knife and fork

Please use a knife and fork, not your fingers.

fork in the road

At the fork in the road, turn left.

tuning fork

The teacher struck a tuning fork to give the starting note.

fork out

I had to fork out a lot of money for the repairs.

fork over

He forked over the cash without complaining.

Synonyms and how they differ

branch

Used for a division in a road or river; 'fork' emphasizes the point where it splits.

split

A more general word for a division; 'fork' is more specific to roads, paths, or rivers.

Word family

forked adjective

Having two or more branches or prongs; e.g., a forked tail.

forkful noun

The amount of food a fork can hold.

forklift noun

A vehicle with a fork for lifting heavy loads.

Commonly confused: fork or pitchfork?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “fork”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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