fork

/fɔrk/

/fɔk/

Other forms: forks; forked; forking

An eating utensil with several points or prongs is called a fork. If you aren't skilled at using chopsticks, you can ask the waiter at the Chinese restaurant to bring you a fork.

In most Western households, forks are a basic part of a table setting — unless all you're eating is soup. There are different forks for different purposes, from a long, narrow fondue fork to a large, wide serving fork. There are also garden tools called forks, including pitchforks and hand-held pronged digging implements. Yet another kind of fork is the place where two roads or branches meet in a V shape. If you come to a fork in the road, you better know which direction to take.

Definitions of fork

1. noun

   cutlery used for serving and eating food
   types:

   carving fork

   a large fork used in carving cooked meat

   salad fork

   a fork intended for eating salads

   tablefork

   a fork for eating at a dining table

   toasting fork

   long-handled fork for cooking or toasting frankfurters or bread etc. (especially over an open fire)

   type of:

   cutlery, eating utensil

   tableware implements for cutting and eating food
2. verb

   shape like a fork
   “She forked her fingers”

   type of:

   form, shape

   give shape or form to
3. noun

   the region of the angle formed by the junction of two branches
   “they took the south fork”

   synonyms: crotch

   type of:

   branch, leg, ramification

   a part of a forked or branching shape
4. noun

   the angle formed by the inner sides of the legs where they join the human trunk
   synonyms: crotch

   type of:

   angle

   the space between two lines or planes that intersect; the inclination of one line to another; measured in degrees or radians
5. noun

   the act of branching out or dividing into branches
   synonyms: branching, forking, ramification

   types:

   bifurcation

   the act of splitting into two branches

   trifurcation

   the act of splitting into three branches

   divarication

   branching at a wide angle

   fibrillation

   act or process of forming fibrils

   type of:

   division

   the act or process of dividing
6. verb

   divide into two or more branches so as to form a fork
   “The road forks”

   synonyms: branch, furcate, ramify, separate

   branch, ramify

   grow and send out branches or branch-like structures

   types:

   arborise, arborize

   branch out like trees

   twig

   branch out in a twiglike manner

   bifurcate

   divide into two branches

   trifurcate

   divide into three

   type of:

   diverge

   move or draw apart
7. noun

   an agricultural tool used for lifting or digging; has a handle and metal prongs
   types:

   hayfork

   a long-handled fork for turning or lifting hay

   type of:

   tool

   an implement used in the practice of a vocation
8. verb

   lift with a pitchfork
   synonyms: pitchfork

   type of:

   lift

   take hold of something and move it to a different location
9. verb

   place under attack with one's own pieces, of two enemy pieces
   type of:

   aggress, attack

   take the initiative and go on the offensive