fork
fawk
Fork (noun) means a pronged utensil used for eating or serving food. Example: “Please put a knife and fork on the left and right of each plate.”
noun
1
A pronged utensil used for eating or serving food.
"Please put a knife and fork on the left and right of each plate."
"The child dropped his fork on the floor and asked for a clean one."
"She picked up her fork and started on the salad."
2
A point where a road, path, or river splits into two directions.
"Our village lies just beyond the fork where the main road divides."
"Take the left fork at the end of the trail."
"We reached a fork in the river and had to choose a direction."
3
A separate version of a software project or dataset created from an existing one.
"Several volunteers maintain a fork of the original program after its creator stopped updating it."
"If you disagree with the project's direction, you can start your own fork on the website."
"The developer created a fork of the open-source library to add new features."
verb
1
To split into two or more branches or directions.
"Beyond the village, the stream forks and runs around both sides of the field."
"If the path forks again, we should keep heading towards the hills."
"The road forks just past the bridge."
How to use fork
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA pronged eating tool, or any point/place that splits into two directions or versions.
Common pairings
fork in the road
knife and fork
fork over (money)
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Word forms
- Plural
- forks
- Third person singular
- forks
- Past tense
- forked
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Please put a knife and _____ on the left and right of each plate.
Etymology
From Old English forca, from Latin furca ("pitchfork, forked stake").
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for fork
See all rhymes for fork →Frequently asked questions
What does “fork” mean?
The word “fork” means a pronged utensil used for eating or serving food. In plain terms, a pronged eating tool, or any point/place that splits into two directions or versions.
How do you pronounce “fork”?
“Fork” is pronounced fawk (/fɔɹk/ in IPA).
How do you use “fork” in a sentence?
Here is “fork” used in a sentence: “She picked up her fork and started on the salad.”
What part of speech is “fork”?
Depending on how it is used, “fork” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “fork” come from?
The word “fork” comes from Latin. From Old English forca, from Latin furca ("pitchfork, forked stake").
Is “fork” a common word?
“Fork” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “fork” have?
“Fork” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a pronged utensil used for eating or serving food.
What is a fork in programming or on GitHub?
In software development, a fork is a separate copy of a project's code that can then be developed independently of the original. On GitHub, "forking" a repository copies it into your own account so you can experiment or propose changes. Some forks stay in sync with the original; others become permanently independent projects.
What is a hard fork in cryptocurrency?
In cryptocurrency, a fork is a change to a blockchain's rules that splits it into two versions. A "hard fork" is incompatible with the old rules and can create a separate coin, while a "soft fork" remains backward-compatible. The term extends the ordinary sense of "fork": a single line splitting into branches.
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