Fork: meaning, definitions and examples

Used to refer to a four-pronged eating instrument typically used for consuming solid food.

• Can you pass me the fork?
• He ate his salad with a fork.

A general term that can refer to any tool or instrument used for eating, cooking, or serving food.

• Please put the utensils back in the drawer.
• Kitchen utensils are on sale this week.

Refers to utensils made of, or looking like, silver. Often used to describe high-quality or fancy eating utensils.

• They polished the silverware for the dinner party.
• The silverware set was a wedding gift.

Refers to all tools used for eating, including forks, knives, and spoons. Often used in formal or general contexts.

• The cutlery is on the top shelf.
• The restaurant provided high-quality cutlery.

As a noun, it can also refer to a utensil used for eating, consisting of a handle with several narrow, projecting, pointed parts.

• Please use a fork to eat your salad
• She handed him a fork

This term is also used for places where roads meet but often implies a more complex or significant meeting point, such as in multi-lane highways or railway systems.

• Take the next exit at the junction
• The railway junction was bustling with activity

This word is used to describe a place where two or more roads cross each other. It is commonly used in urban and traffic-related contexts.

• There was an accident at the intersection
• Traffic lights control the flow at the intersection

This word can describe the action of something dividing into two or more parts. It has an informal and sometimes negative connotation, often implying a forced or undesirable division.

• The company announced a split into two smaller entities
• The road splits into two narrow paths

Used when referring to a road, river, or path that splits into two or more directions.

• The trail forks here; you can go left or right.
• The river forks into two smaller streams at this point.

Commonly used when referring to splitting something into distinct parts or groups. Can be used in mathematical, social, or ideological contexts.

• Let's divide the cake into eight equal pieces.
• The political issue continues to divide the nation.

Often used in scenarios where something is broken or cut into parts, can also imply a disagreement or a division between people. It can have a negative connotation when implying conflict.

• She split the log into smaller pieces for firewood.
• The disagreement split the team into two factions.

Used when referring to the process of disjoining or splitting one entity into individual parts or units, often implying a physical or emotional distance.

• We need to separate the recyclables from the trash.
• The couple decided to separate after many years together.