fork out
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Sense 1
To pay out, to hand over.
Register: informal
Examples
Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
to bring out one’s money, to pay the bill, to "stand for" or treat a friend; to hand over what does not belong to you—old cant term for picking pockets, and very curious in its origin. In the early part of the last century, a little book was published on purloining, and of course it had to give the latest modes. FORKING was the newest mode, and it consisted in thrusting the fingers stiff and open into the pocket, and then quickly closing them and extracting any article thus caught.
Era: ca. 1874 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Historical definition reproduced from Hotten’s The Slang Dictionary (1874, public domain; Project Gutenberg #42108, retrieved 2026-07-31). Reflects the attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “fork out” mean?
To pay out, to hand over.
Is “fork out” formal or informal?
fork out is generally informal.