fork

UK: /ˈfɔː^rk/ US: /fɔrk/ ,(fôrk)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

fork /fɔrk/   n. [countable]

1. Agriculture an instrument having two or more points or prongs for holding, lifting, etc., esp. one used for handling food:
   knives, forks, and spoons.
2. something resembling this in form, as a farm tool.
3. the point or part at which a thing, such as a river or a road, divides into branches.
4. either of the branches into which a thing divides:
   When the road splits, take the left fork.

v. 

5. to divide into branches:
   [no object] The road forks up ahead.
6. [Informal.] fork over, out, or up, to deliver; pay* hand over: [~ + over/out/up + object]
   Fork over the money now.
   [~ + object + over/out/up]
   Fork it over.

fork•ful /ˈfɔrkfʊl/  n. [countable] , pl. -fuls. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

fork  (fôrk), n. 

1. Agriculture an instrument having two or more prongs or tines, for holding, lifting, etc., as an implement for handling food or any of various agricultural tools.
2. something resembling or suggesting this in form.
3. Music and Dance See tuning fork. 
4. Mechanical Engineering [Mach.] yoke¹ (def. 9).
5. Botany a division into branches.
6. the point or part at which a thing, as a river or a road, divides into branches:
   Bear left at the fork in the road.
7. either of the branches into which a thing divides.
8. Time [Horol.] (in a lever escapement) the forked end of the lever engaging with the ruby pin. See diag. under lever escapement. 
9. a principal tributary of a river.
10. Automotive the support of the front wheel axles of a bicycle or motorcycle, having the shape of a two-pronged fork.
11. the barbed head of an arrow.

v.t. 

12. to pierce, raise, pitch, dig, etc., with a fork.
13. to make into the form of a fork.
14. [Chess.] to maneuver so as to place (two opponent's pieces) under simultaneous attack by the same piece.

v.i. 

15. to divide into branches:
    Turn left where the road forks.
16. to turn as indicated at a fork in a road, path, etc.:
    Fork left and continue to the top of the hill.
17. fork over or out or up, [Informal.] to hand over;
    deliver;
    pay:
    Fork over the money you owe me!

• Latin furca fork, gallows, yoke
• Middle English forke, Old English forca bef. 1000

fork′less, adj. 
fork′like′, adj. 

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

fork / fɔːk/ noun

1. a small usually metal implement consisting of two, three, or four long thin prongs on the end of a handle, used for lifting food to the mouth or turning it in cooking, etc
2. an agricultural tool consisting of a handle and three or four metal prongs, used for lifting, digging, etc
3. a pronged part of any machine, device, etc
4. (of a road, river, etc) a division into two or more branches
5. the point where the division begins
6. such a branch

verb

1. (transitive) to pick up, dig, etc, with a fork
2. (transitive) to place (two enemy pieces) under attack with one of one's own pieces, esp a knight
3. (intransitive) to be divided into two or more branches
4. to take one or other branch at a fork in a road, river, etc

Etymology: Old English forca, from Latin furca