fold

[ fohld ]

See synonyms for: fold folded folding folds on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to bend (cloth, paper, etc.) over upon itself.
to bring into a compact form by bending and laying parts together (often followed by up): to fold up a map; to fold one's legs under oneself.

to bring (the arms, hands, etc.) together in an intertwined or crossed manner; cross; entwine: He folded his arms on his chest.
to bend or wind (usually followed by about, round, etc.): to fold one's arms about a person's neck.
to bring (the wings) close to the body, as a bird on alighting.
to enclose; wrap; envelop: to fold something in paper.
to embrace or clasp; enfold: to fold someone in one's arms.
Cards. to place (one's cards) facedown so as to withdraw from the play.
Informal. to bring to an end; close up: The owner decided to fold the business and retire.

verb (used without object)

to be folded or be capable of folding: The doors fold back.
Cards. to place one's cards facedown so as to withdraw from the play.

Informal. to fail in business; be forced to close: The newspaper folded after 76 years.
Informal. to yield or give in: Dad folded and said we could go after all.

noun

a part that is folded; pleat; layer: folds of cloth.
a crease made by folding: He cut the paper along the fold.

a hollow made by folding: to carry something in the fold of one's dress.
a hollow place in undulating ground: a fold of the mountains.
Geology. a portion of strata that is folded or bent, as an anticline or syncline, or that connects two horizontal or parallel portions of strata of different levels (as a monocline).
Journalism.
- the line formed along the horizontal center of a standard-sized newspaper when it is folded after printing.
- a rough-and-ready dividing line, especially on the front page and other principal pages, between stories of primary and lesser importance.
a coil of a serpent, string, etc.
the act of folding or doubling over.
Anatomy. a margin or ridge formed by the folding of a membrane or other flat body part; plica.

Verb Phrases

fold in, Cooking. to mix in or add (an ingredient) by gently turning one part over another: Fold in the egg whites.
fold up, Informal.
- to break down; collapse: He folded up when the prosecutor discredited his story.
- to fail, especially to go out of business.

Origin of fold

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb folden, falden, faulden, Old English fealdan, faldan; cognate with Gothic falthan, Old Norse falda, German falten; akin to Latin plicāre “to fold,” plectere to plait, twine,” Greek plékein “to braid, knit”; cf. plait; see origin at -fold

Other words from fold

fold·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby fold

Other definitions for fold (2 of 3)

fold²

[ fohld ]

noun

an enclosure for sheep or, occasionally, other domestic animals.
the sheep kept within it.

a flock of sheep.
a church.
the members of a church; congregation: He preached to the fold.
a group sharing common beliefs, values, etc.: He rejoined the fold after his youthful escapade.

verb (used with object)

to confine (sheep or other domestic animals) in a fold.

Origin of fold

First recorded before 900; Middle English fold, fald, feld “sheepfold,” Old English fald, falod, falud “sheepfold, ox stall, stable”; akin to Old Saxon faled “pen, enclosure,” Middle Low German vaalt “pen, enclosure, manure heap,” Middle Dutch vaelt, vaelde

Other definitions for -fold (3 of 3)

-fold

a native English suffix meaning “of so many parts,” or denoting multiplication by the number indicated by the stem or word to which the suffix is attached: twofold; manifold.

Origin of -fold

Middle English; Old English -fald, -feald, cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon -fald,German -falt,Old Norse -faldr,Gothic -falths, all representing the Germanic base of fold¹; akin to Greek -ploos, -plous (see haplo-, diplo-), Latin -plus (see simple, double, etc.), -plex-plex

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fold in a sentence

Maybe it’s because I’m right-handed or maybe it’s because the camera is on the right side of the fold, but I occasionally found it awkward to fold the phone and take a picture.
Review of the Microsoft Surface Duo folding phone: Very pretty but just how useful is it? | Aaron Pressman | September 10, 2020 | Fortune
Millions of Americans don’t have access to traditional financial services, and Schulman says he believes that smartphones and online platforms provide an opportunity to build a more inclusive economy that brings them into the fold.
PayPal’s CEO on why moral leadership makes clear capitalism needs an upgrade | McKenna Moore | September 8, 2020 | Fortune
Even with the new glass, however, you can still expect to see a fold crease on the screen.
Small upgrades could make for big improvements in Samsung’s latest folding smartphone | Stan Horaczek | September 2, 2020 | Popular-Science
That’s crucial, Torto says, because it demonstrates that 4VA could function to both bring solitary locusts into the fold of the swarm, as well as maintain a swarm’s cohesiveness over time.
A single molecule may entice normally solitary locusts to form massive swarms | Jonathan Lambert | August 12, 2020 | Science News
Cuts and folds can transform a flat piece of paper into a 3-D work of art.
Shape-shifting cuts give shoes a better grip | Carolyn Wilke | July 14, 2020 | Science News For Students

While some stray from the fold, most stay with the same pack their entire lives.
Mongooses, Meerkats, and Ants, Oh My! Why Some Animals Keep Mating All in the Family | Helen Thompson | December 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
fold the parchment paper with the dry ingredients in half and pour into the stand mixer.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Sticky Toffee Pudding | Carla Hall | December 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
fold over the edges and crimp, then trim any remaining excess.
Make ‘The Chew’s’ Carla Hall’s Pumpkin Pecan Pie | Carla Hall | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The parental fold may be about to envelope you—and yet also drive you mad.
How to Make It Through Thanksgiving Alive | Lizzie Crocker | November 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They see him bringing working-class whites and Southerners into the fold in a way that no other Democrat could.
Hillary Gets a Challenger and He’s a Marine | David Freedlander | November 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
With a power over nature multiplied a hundred fold, nature still conquers us.
The Unsolved Riddle of Social Justice | Stephen Leacock
Fleurette he did not meet until he brought back the sight-seers to the fold in the evening.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol | William J. Locke
The second High-Pockets produced a worn bill-fold and extracted a pink union permit.
Nine Men in Time | Noel Miller Loomis
If you use an envelope, and this custom is now universal, fold your letter neatly to fit into it; then direct on the envelope.
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness | Florence Hartley
Rabbah was to be a sheep-fold, Babylon a menagerie of wild beasts—a very specific difference and very improbable.
Gospel Philosophy | J. H. Ward

British Dictionary definitions for fold (1 of 3)

fold¹

/ (fəʊld) /

verb

to bend or be bent double so that one part covers another: to fold a sheet of paper
(tr) to bring together and intertwine (the arms, legs, etc): she folded her hands

(tr) (of birds, insects, etc) to close (the wings) together from an extended position
(tr; often foll by up or in) to enclose in or as if in a surrounding material
(tr foll by in) to clasp (a person) in the arms
(tr usually foll by round, about, etc) to wind (around); entwine
(tr) poetic to cover completely: night folded the earth
Also: fold in (tr) to mix (a whisked mixture) with other ingredients by gently turning one part over the other with a spoon
to produce a bend (in stratified rock) or (of stratified rock) to display a bend
(intr often foll by up) informal to collapse; fail: the business folded

noun

a piece or section that has been folded: a fold of cloth
a mark, crease, or hollow made by folding

a hollow in undulating terrain
a bend in stratified rocks that results from movements within the earth's crust and produces such structures as anticlines and synclines
anatomy another word for plica (def. 1)
a coil, as in a rope, etc
an act of folding

Origin of fold

Old English fealdan; related to Old Norse falda , Old High German faldan, Latin duplus double, Greek haploos simple

See also fold up

Derived forms of fold

foldable, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for fold (2 of 3)

fold²

/ (fəʊld) /

noun

- a small enclosure or pen for sheep or other livestock, where they can be gathered
- the sheep or other livestock gathered in such an enclosure
- a flock of sheep
- a herd of Highland cattle
a church or the members of it

any group or community sharing a way of life or holding the same values

verb

(tr) to gather or confine (sheep or other livestock) in a fold

Origin of fold

Old English falod; related to Old Saxon faled, Middle Dutch vaelt

British Dictionary definitions for -fold (3 of 3)

-fold

suffix forming adjectives, suffix forming adverbs

having so many parts, being so many times as much or as many, or multiplied by so much or so many: threefold; three-hundredfold

Origin of -fold

Old English -fald, -feald

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

Scientific definitions for fold

fold

[ fōld ]

A bend in a layer of rock or in another planar feature such as foliation or the cleavage of a mineral. Folds occur as the result of deformation, usually associated with plate-tectonic forces.

Other Idioms and Phrases with fold

fold

In addition to the idioms beginning with fold

fold one's tent
fold up

also see:

return to the fold

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