pitchfork

[ pich-fawrk ]

noun
  1. a large, long-handled fork for manually lifting and pitching hay, stalks of grain, etc.

  2. pitchforks, Northern U.S. beggar's-lice, especially the achenes of Spanish needles.

verb (used with object)
  1. to pitch or throw with or as if with a pitchfork.

Origin of pitchfork

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1425–75; see origin at pitch1, fork

Words Nearby pitchfork

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use pitchfork in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pitchfork

pitchfork

/ (ˈpɪtʃˌfɔːk) /


noun
  1. a long-handled fork with two or three long curved tines for lifting, turning, or tossing hay

verb(tr)
  1. to use a pitchfork on (something)

  2. to thrust (someone) unwillingly into a position

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012