Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense folds, present participle folding, past tense, past participle folded
1. verb
If you fold something such as a piece of paper or cloth, you bend it so that one part covers another part, often pressing the edge so that it stays in place.
He folded the paper carefully. [VERB noun]
Fold the omelette in half. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
Fold the blanket back. [VERB noun preposition/adverb]
...a folded towel. [VERB-ed]
Synonyms: bend, double, gather, tuck More Synonyms of fold
2. countable noun
A fold in a piece of paper or cloth is a bend that you make in it when you put one partof it over another part and press the edge.
Make another fold and turn the ends together.
Synonyms: crease, turn, gather, bend More Synonyms of fold
3. countable noun [usually plural]
The folds in a piece of cloth are the curved shapes which are formed when it is not hanging or lying flat.
The priest fumbled in the folds of his gown. [+ of]
4. verb
If a piece of furniture or equipment folds or if you can fold it, you can make it smaller by bending or closing parts of it.
The back of the bench folds forward to make a table. [VERB adverb/preposition]
This portable seat folds flat for easy storage. [VERB adjective]
Check if you can fold the buggy without having to remove the raincover. [VERB noun]
...a folding beach chair. [VERB-ing]
[Also V n adj]
Fold up means the same as fold.
When not in use it folds up out of the way. [VERBPARTICLE]
Fold the ironing board up so that it is flat. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
5. verb
If you fold your arms or hands, you bring them together and cross or link them, for example over your chest.
Meer folded his arms over his chest and turned his head away. [VERB noun]
Mrs Ringrose sat down and folded her hands in her lap. [VERB noun]
6. verb
If a business or organization folds, it is unsuccessful and has to close.
[mainly British, business]
But as other shops fold, the march of the superstores continues. [VERB]
2,500 small businesses were folding each week. [VERB]
7. singular noun
When someone joins an organization or group, you can say that they have come into thefold. When they leave the organization or group, you can say that they leave thefold.
They had hoped that by hosting this summit they might be welcomed back into the fold.
He might find it difficult to return to the family fold when he realizes his mistake.
Phrasal verbs:
See fold in
See fold up
More Synonyms of fold
-fold
(-foʊld)
suffix
-fold combines with numbers to form adverbs which say how much an amount has increased by. For example, if an amount increasesfourfold, it is four times greater than it was originally.
By the late eighties their number had grown fourfold.
Pretax profit surged almost twelvefold.
-fold also combines with numbers to form adjectives.
One survey revealed a threefold increase in breast cancer.
fold in British English1
(fəʊld)
verb
1.
to bend or be bent double so that one part covers another
to fold a sheet of paper
2. (transitive)
to bring together and intertwine (the arms, legs, etc)
she folded her hands
3. (transitive)
(of birds, insects, etc) to close (the wings) together from an extended position
4. (tr; often foll by up or in)
to enclose in or as if in a surrounding material
5. (transitive; foll byin)
to clasp (a person) in the arms
6. (transitive; usually foll byround, about, etc)
to wind (around); entwine
7. (transitive) poetic
to cover completely
night folded the earth
8. Also: fold in(transitive)
to mix (a whisked mixture) with other ingredients by gently turning one part over the other with a spoon
9.
to produce a bend (in stratified rock) or (of stratified rock) to display a bend
10. (intransitive; often foll byup) informal
to collapse; fail
the business folded
noun
11.
a piece or section that has been folded
a fold of cloth
12.
a mark, crease, or hollow made by folding
13.
a hollow in undulating terrain
14.
a bend in stratified rocks that results from movements within the earth's crust and produces such structures as anticlines and synclines
15. anatomy another word for plica (sense 1)
16.
a coil, as in a rope, etc
17.
an act of folding
Derived forms
foldable (ˈfoldable)
adjective
Word origin
Old English fealdan; related to Old Norse falda , Old High German faldan, Latin duplus double, Greek haploos simple
fold in British English2
(fəʊld)
noun
1.
a.
a small enclosure or pen for sheep or other livestock, where they can be gathered
b.
the sheep or other livestock gathered in such an enclosure
c.
a flock of sheep
d.
a herd of Highland cattle
2.
a church or the members of it
3.
any group or community sharing a way of life or holding the same values
verb
4. (transitive)
to gather or confine (sheep or other livestock) in a fold
Word origin
Old English falod; related to Old Saxon faled, Middle Dutch vaelt
-fold in British English
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
Word origin
Old English -fald, -feald
fold in American English1
(foʊld)
verb transitive
1.
a.
to bend or press (something) so that one part is over another; double up on itself
to fold a sheet
b.
to make more compact by so doubling a number of times
2.
to draw together and intertwine
to fold the arms
3.
to draw (wings) close to the body
4.
to clasp in the arms; embrace
5.
to wrap up; envelop
verb intransitive
6.
to be or become folded
7. US, Informal
to fail
; specif.,
a.
to be forced to close, as a business, play, etc.
b.
to succumb, as to exhaustion; collapse
8. US, Poker
to withdraw from the betting on a hand, specif. by turning over one's exposed cards
noun
9.
a folded part or layer
10.
a mark made by folding
11.
a hollow or crease produced by folded parts or layers
12. British
a hollow; small valley
13. Geology
a rock layer folded by pressure
Idioms:
fold in
Word origin
ME folden < OE faldan (WS fealdan), akin to Ger falten < IE *pel-to < base *pel-, to fold > simple, triple
fold in American English2
(foʊld)
noun
1.
a pen in which to keep sheep
2.
sheep kept together; flock of sheep
3.
a group or organization with common interests, aims, faith, etc., as a church
verb transitive
4.
to keep or confine in a pen
Word origin
ME < OE fald, akin to Du vaalt, enclosed place, Dan fold, sheep pen
-fold in American English
(foʊld)
1. forming adjectives
having (a specified number of) parts
a tenfold division
2. forming adjectives and adverbs
(a specified number of) times as many, as much, as large
to profit tenfold
Word origin
ME -fold, -fald < OE -feald: see fold1
Examples of 'fold' in a sentence
fold
Especially if we folded it away when it was wet and therefore heavier than a mountain?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She said the buggy would not fold.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
We are delighted to welcome him back into the fold.
The Sun (2016)
Fold the edges of the filo just inside the edges of the dish.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
There will be no more comfortable meandering with arms folded in the slips.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
It turned out we couldn't fold it away when it was wet because the fabric would rot.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Fold the edges to seal.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
A generously built man wearing a thick coat and dungarees, he settled into a folding chair and began to wait.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Fold forward and if possible reach behind to hold the ankles.
The Sun (2014)
The road wound up to a town cowering in folds of rock.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It contains fewer sections and folds business coverage inside the news pages.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Plus the front passenger seat folds flat into a table or for long loads.
The Sun (2012)
Wrap each piece in foil and fold the edges to seal.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
It brings leaders into the fold and makes them feel included.
Christianity Today (2000)
Why have you forgotten how to fold the buggy?
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The sails on one windmill are folded up and point to where the wind had come from.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
He sits back confidently and folds his arms behind his head.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Put a folded kitchen cloth in the bottom of a baking tray.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Who knew there was a right way to fold socks?
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Always fold the mixture slowly to retain as much air as possible.
The Sun (2012)
Both ladders fold small enough to be easily carried and will fit into a car boot.
The Sun (2008)
They are shaped liked bicycle saddles and can be folded away to save space.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
There is a roomy boot and the rear seats fold down and forward to make lots of space.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Insiders had feared the whole business would fold given the time it has taken to find a buyer.
The Sun (2012)
This exercise can also be made more difficult by placing the arms folded across the chest or behind the head.
Lycholat, Tony Shape Your Body, Shape Your Life (1987)
He is 24 but moved back into the family fold last autumn.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The Green chief chose to go on a folding bike.
The Sun (2016)
The twisting and folding rock will make you wish you'd paid more attention in double geography.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
A successful career in advertising and photography followed before he returned to the family fold in the early 1990s.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
In other languages
fold
British English: fold /fəʊld/ NOUN
A fold in a piece of paper or cloth is a bend that you make in it when you put one part of it over another part and press the edge.
Make another fold and turn the ends together.
American English: fold
Arabic: طَيّ حظيرة خراف
Brazilian Portuguese: dobra
Chinese: 折痕
Croatian: preklop
Czech: ohyb
Danish: fold
Dutch: vouw
European Spanish: pliegue
Finnish: taitos
French: pli
German: Falte
Greek: πτυχή
Italian: piega
Japanese: 囲い
Korean: 접은 자리
Norwegian: brettekant
Polish: fałda
European Portuguese: dobra
Romanian: îndoitură
Russian: складка
Latin American Spanish: pliegue
Swedish: veck
Thai: รอยพับ
Turkish: kat giysi, kağıt vb
Ukrainian: згин
Vietnamese: nếp gấp
British English: fold /fəʊld/ VERB
If you fold something such as a piece of paper or cloth, you bend it so that one part covers another part, often pressing the edge so that it stays in place.