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Glite Dictionary
to fork up

to fork up

1 8.1
To pay money unwillingly
  • phrasal verb
  • /fɔrk ʌp/
  • Informal
translation icon : pagar
  • Then I have to fork up $200 bail to get you out of jail.

Examples

  • In fact, New York's new system is gaining critics due to its high price tag, which in the end forces users to fork up a minimum of $10 for what used to (and should) be a simple way to get around.

    Blog text (16)

  • Now you fork up five grand, or else.

    Tara Road (2005)

  • Fork up or no liquor.

    It's Always Fair Weather (1955)

  • You've still got to fork up the $$

    Blog text (9)

  • Come on, come on, fork up the scub. Benny

    Fiction book (1992)

  • For every loophole for the rich, this means that every middle class and poor (Republicans included) must fork up the money to provide the services that we want from government.

    Blog text (29)

  • You will need to fork up $100 if you want to join the club.

  • After much hesitation, he finally decided to fork up the money for his friend's hospital bills.

  • If you want to attend the concert, you're going to have to fork up the ticket price in advance.

Synonyms

to hand over
vsto fork up
296 2.8

Give something to someone because you have to

focuses on giving money usually rather than general transfer of control
to pay up
vsto fork up
  • Informal
35 3.6

Give someone the money you owe them, often after they ask you

is broader covering reluctant giving not only for repaying debts
to shell out
vsto fork up
  • Informal
30 7.1

Pay a large amount of money even when you do not want to

is about giving money without implying a large amount
to cough up
vsto fork up
  • Informal
23 6.5

To pay money unwillingly after being pressured

is usually reluctant in general not only after pressure
to pony up
vsto fork up
  • Informal
21 8.2

Pay money, often reluctantly, when others expect it

is general reluctant giving not tied to expectation to contribute
to fork over
vsto fork up
  • Informal
15 6.1

To give money to someone after they ask or force you

shows general reluctance rather than needing pressure to act
to fork out
vsto fork up
  • Informal
3 7.5

To pay money when you do not want to

is used in the same sense without being marked informal
to spit up
vsto fork up
  • Informal
7.7

To give something, often money, because others make you do it

expresses general reluctance rather than only pressure based giving

Antonyms

to keep
∞ 1.0

To store something for later use

How Reluctant

to cough up
  • Informal
23 6.5
to fork up
  • Informal
1 8.1
to hand over
296 2.8
to give
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

fork up infinitive
forked up past
forked up past participle
forking up present participle
forks up third person singular

Morphology

fork + up

The sense 'to give or hand over (money), usually reluctantly' is not predictably built from 'fork' (a utensil or to split) and 'up' (direction/completion); there is no transparent compositional relation between the constituents and the idiomatic meaning. This colloquial phrasal verb is unpredictable and must be learned as an idiom, so a B1 learner who only knows the separate words would likely not infer its meaning.

Etymology

Fork up may come from a simple image: imagine using a fork to push money out of your pocket into someone else's hand when you do not want to pay. That's why fork up means 'to give' or 'hand over' something, often money, usually reluctantly.