fork

fork — noun

1. a small item used for eating meals, consisting of a handle attached to several t

1.nounA1
Definition

a small item used for eating meals, consisting of a handle attached to several thin sharp points that hold pieces of food

Example

Yumi put down her fork and picked up the spoon to eat her soup.

collocation: put down her fork / pick up her fork

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

collocation: set the table with a fork

Common collocations
  • set the table with a fork
  • put down your fork
  • pick up your fork
  • wash the fork
  • dinner fork
  • salad fork
  • dessert fork
  • fork and knife
  • fork and spoon
Synonyms
  • spork

    combined spoon and fork, less common

Antonyms
  • spoon

    a utensil with a round bowl instead of prongs

Grammar Patterns

fork + handle + prongs

Usage Note

In Western table settings, the fork is usually held in the left hand while cutting food with a knife in the right hand. Common types include the dinner fork, salad fork, and dessert fork.

Common Mistakes

I ate my rice with a fork' (acceptable but not typical in East Asian contexts).
I ate my rice with chopsticks.
chopsticks are the more common utensil for rice in many Asian countries.

2. a gardening implement that has a straight long handle and a set of strong pointe

2.nounA2
Definition

a gardening implement that has a straight long handle and a set of strong pointed spikes at the bottom, used for digging or turning over earth, lifting crops, or moving straw

Example

Femi used a garden fork to turn over the soil before planting vegetables.

compound noun: garden fork

Gabriela lifted the dry leaves with a pitchfork and carried them to the compost bin.

compound noun: pitchfork

Common collocations
  • garden fork
  • pitchfork
  • dig with a fork
  • turn over soil with a fork
  • fork handle
Synonyms
  • pitchfork

    a type of garden fork with long curved prongs for lifting hay

  • spading fork

    a garden fork with flat prongs for digging compacted soil

Grammar Patterns

garden fork

pitchfork

Usage Note

A garden fork has thicker, stronger prongs than an eating fork. A pitchfork has longer, curved prongs and is used for lifting hay or straw.

3. either of the two separate paths that a road, river, or similar feature can spli

3.nounB1
Definition

either of the two separate paths that a road, river, or similar feature can split into at a certain point

Example

At the fork in the road, Yumi turned left toward the village instead of right.

idiom: fork in the road (literal)

Near the border, the river splits into two forks; one runs through the forest.

collocation: the left fork / right fork

Common collocations
  • fork in the road
  • left fork
  • right fork
  • northern fork
  • take the fork
  • at the fork
  • reach a fork
  • the river fork
Synonyms
  • junction

    a place where roads meet, not necessarily dividing into two (can be a crossroads)

  • branch

    one of the divisions of a river or road

Antonyms
  • junction

    a place where roads come together, rather than split apart

Grammar Patterns

fork in the road

fork of the river

at the fork

Usage Note

Often used in the common expression 'fork in the road.' This can be literal (an actual road division) or figurative (a point where a person must make an important choice).

Common Mistakes

I reached a fork on the road.
I reached a fork in the road.
the correct preposition is 'in,' not 'on.'

4. an object or component whose form has at least two long sections spreading outwa

4.nounB2
Definition

an object or component whose form has at least two long sections spreading outward from the middle, resembling a dinner fork

Example

The musician struck the tuning fork against the table and listened to its clear note.

compound noun: tuning fork

A bright fork of lightning split the dark sky above the town during the storm.

compound noun: fork of lightning

Common collocations
  • tuning fork
  • fork of lightning
  • bicycle fork
  • fork-shaped
Synonyms
  • prong

    one of the pointed parts of a fork or fork-like object

Grammar Patterns

tuning fork

fork of lightning

Usage Note

A tuning fork produces a specific musical note when struck and is used to tune instruments. A bicycle fork holds the front wheel. A fork of lightning refers to a zigzag-shaped flash. These are distinct objects that share a Y-shaped form.

fork — verb

Word family

  • forked
    adjectiveB2
  • forking
    nounC1
  • forkful
    nounC1
  • pitchfork
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

A 'fork' specifically describes where a road, river, or path divides into two (or occasionally more) separate courses. A 'branch' is one of those resulting parts — you take the left 'branch' at the 'fork.' A 'junction' is any point where roads meet or cross, not necessarily dividing; a T-junction is a dead end, while a fork keeps both options going. 'Split' is more informal and broader in use: a road can 'split' into two lanes, but the word also covers non-spatial divisions like splitting a bill. 'Bifurcation' is a formal, technical term for division into two branches and is rare in everyday speech. In driving directions, 'fork' is useful because it tells the driver the road continues in both directions — unlike a turn, which might lead to a dead end.

fork ↗branch ↗junction ↗split ↗bifurcation

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • fork in the road
  • fork of the river
  • garden fork
  • tuning fork
  • fork of lightning

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'fork' comes from the Old English 'forca,' which was borrowed from the Latin 'furca,' meaning a two-pronged pitchfork or a forked instrument. The Latin root is also the source of the word 'furcate' (to divide into branches). The sense of a road or river dividing appeared in the early 1600s, while the eating utensil sense developed in the Middle English period, around the 1400s, when table forks became common in Europe.