tuning fork

Meanings

1. 1nouncountable

   A small metal instrument with two prongs that makes a fixed musical note when struck.

   Grammar: Countable: one tuning fork, two tuning forks. Often used with 'strike', 'hit' or 'use'.

   Patterns

   • strike a tuning fork
   • use a tuning fork
   • a tuning fork for something

   The piano tuner struck a tuning fork and listened carefully to the note.

   Singers sometimes use a tuning fork to find the starting note before a performance.

   She keeps a tuning fork in her instrument case so she can check her violin.

2. 2nouncountablemedicaltechnical

   A similar vibrating metal device used in some medical hearing tests.

   Grammar: Countable and usually singular in this medical use: 'a tuning fork test'.

   Patterns

   • a tuning fork test
   • use a tuning fork to test something

   The doctor used a tuning fork to check how well the patient could hear.

   A tuning fork test can help show whether hearing loss is in one ear or both.

Word forms

Common combinations

strike a tuning fork

He struck the tuning fork against his knee and held it near his ear.

a tuning fork test

The nurse performed a tuning fork test during the hearing examination.

the note of a tuning fork

The note of a tuning fork is very pure and steady.

use a tuning fork

You can use a tuning fork to tune a guitar by ear.

Synonyms and how they differ

pitch pipe

A pitch pipe is a small pipe you blow to get a starting note; it is easier for singers but less exact than a tuning fork.

diapason

Diapason is an old-fashioned or technical word for a fixed standard of pitch, not for the metal tool itself.

Commonly confused: tuning fork or fork?

Practice

Make it your own

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

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