fold

[ fohld ]

/ foʊld /

Save This Word!

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.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

Other definitions for fold (2 of 3)

fold²

[ fohld ]

/ foʊld /

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

DeepMind’s technological leap could make accurately predicting these folds a much less time and resource-consuming process, which could dramatically change the pace at which our understanding of diseases and therapeutics progresses.
Alphabet’s DeepMind achieves historic new milestone in AI-based protein structure prediction|Darrell Etherington|November 30, 2020|TechCrunch
Adobe hopes that by bringing another marketing tool into the fold, it can help its customers increase the likelihood of a positive online customer experience.
Adobe acquires marketing workflow startup Workfront for $1.5B|Ron Miller|November 9, 2020|TechCrunch
“We’re reaching peak newsletter saturation at this point and there has to be a unique way to bring subscribers into the fold,” said Mike Donoghue, CEO of Subtext.
‘This conversation is personal’: Inc.’s columnists are now available through text for readers willing to pay|Kayleigh Barber|October 29, 2020|Digiday
Earlier this year we showed how to approximate any three-dimensional shape by taking a flat sheet and introducing folds.
A Scientist Who Delights in the Mundane|Steve Nadis|October 26, 2020|Quanta Magazine

Keeping the folds you just made on the inside, fold it like a hot dog bun or a taco shell.
Five classic paper toys you can make when you’re bored (whether you’re in school or not)|John Kennedy|October 7, 2020|Popular-Science
Zalwar Khan returns quickly and begins his morning prayers, spreading out a plastic mat and folding his arms over his chest.
Heart of Darkness: Into Afghanistan’s Taliban Valley|Matt Trevithick, Daniel Seckman|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“We got here hours ago,” says a man with a foot brace who's given up his spot in the amorphous line to sit on a folding chair.
Beyonce, Jay Z & No Doubt Sing to End Global Poverty in Central Park|Caitlin Dickson|September 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In two-thirds of the room, delegates sat in folding chairs across the basketball court, which was covered by mats.
The Bizarro World Of Iowa’s GOP Convention|Ben Jacobs|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Patients in the former are nearly all black or Hispanic; some fifty or sixty of them wait on folding metal chairs.
Adam Hochschild on Keeping Company With His Dying Father|Adam Hochschild|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As recently as a decade ago, there was serious talk of folding at least three and possibly as many as six franchises.
Shaq, Year One|Charles P. Pierce|May 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That folding wireless staff you use on the Marigold is repeated right on the top of that tower.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn|Margaret Penrose
She was folding and tying with a narrow ribbon some papers as she spoke, and her eyes snapped behind her glasses.
The Girls of Central High on the Stage|Gertrude W. Morrison
At first geologists were disposed to attribute all the phenomena of mountain-folding to the progressive cooling of the earth.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Lamb could visualize him putting his coat on a hanger, carefully folding a scarf over it.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various
The owner of the slippers was folding the robe and laying it over the rail, and grumbling to himself all the while.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower

British Dictionary definitions for fold (1 of 3)

fold¹

/ (fəʊld) /

verb

to bend or be bent double so that one part covers anotherto 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 completelynight 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; failthe business folded

noun

a piece or section that has been foldeda 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

Derived forms of fold

foldable, adjective

Word Origin for fold

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

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

Word Origin for 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 manythreefold; three-hundredfold

Word Origin for -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

fold

Origin of fold

OTHER WORDS FROM fold

Other definitions for fold (2 of 3)

Origin of fold

Other definitions for fold (3 of 3)

Origin of -fold

Words related to fold

How to use fold in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fold (1 of 3)

Derived forms of fold

Word Origin for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (2 of 3)

Word Origin for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (3 of 3)

Word Origin for -fold

Scientific definitions for fold

Other Idioms and Phrases with fold