fold
1to 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 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 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.
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.
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.
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
1Other words from fold
- fold·a·ble, adjective
Other definitions for fold (2 of 3)
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.
to confine (sheep or other domestic animals) in a fold.
Origin of fold
2Other definitions for -fold (3 of 3)
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
3Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fold in a sentence
If Watson can be brought back into the fold there are still major obstacles back to football relevancy.
The field of artificial intelligence has created computers that can drive cars, synthesize chemical compounds, fold proteins, and detect high-energy particles at a superhuman level.
How Explainable Artificial Intelligence Can Help Humans Innovate | Forest Agostinelli | January 13, 2021 | Singularity HubLarge images and slideshows above the fold are particularly rough on your score, so remove or move them as much as possible.
Core Web Vitals report: 28 Ways to supercharge your site | James Parsons | January 13, 2021 | Search Engine WatchThe hydrophobic amino acids tend to bury themselves inside the protein folds, away from water molecules, while the hydrophilic amino acids get drawn to the surface.
A Newfound Source of Cellular Order in the Chemistry of Life | Viviane Callier | January 7, 2021 | Quanta MagazineThat will keep them in the fold as they grow wealthier, offering Robinhood an opportunity to sell them profitable products and services.
It features 16 travel-inspired objects, including foldable furniture.
The 4 Most Fashionable Chairs from Salone del Mobile 2013 | Isabel Wilkinson | April 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTLewis-Kraus talks about writing the entire first draft of his book on his phone with a little foldable Bluetooth keyboard.
There was, I learnt, a right way and a wrong way to fold all things foldable.
Observations of an Orderly | Ward Muir
British Dictionary definitions for fold (1 of 3)
/ (fəʊld) /
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
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
1- See also fold up
Derived forms of fold
- foldable, adjective
British Dictionary definitions for fold (2 of 3)
/ (fəʊld) /
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
(tr) to gather or confine (sheep or other livestock) in a fold
Origin of fold
2British Dictionary definitions for -fold (3 of 3)
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
3Collins 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
[ 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with fold
In addition to the idioms beginning with fold
- fold one's tent
- fold up
also see:
- return to the fold
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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