fold

[ fohld ]

/ foʊld /

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; clasp; cross: 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, Cookery. 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

before 900; (v.) Middle English folden, falden, Old English faldan; cognate with G. falten; (v.) Middle English fald, derivative of the n.; akin to Latin plicāre to fold, plectere to plait, twine, Greek plékein; cf. -fold

OTHER WORDS FROM fold

fold·a·ble, adjective

Words nearby fold

fokine, fokker, fol., folacin, folate, fold, fold one's tent, fold up, fold-and-thrust belt, fold-down, foldaway

Definition for fold (2 of 3)

fold ²

[ 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

before 900; Middle English fold, fald, Old English fald, falod; akin to Old Saxon faled pen, enclosure, Middle Low German vālt pen, enclosure, manure heap, Middle Dutch vaelt, vaelde

Definition 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

Example sentences from the Web for fold

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 |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 |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 |DAILY BEAST
In the film world, it was really Kevin Smith who brought Osment back into the fold with Tusk.

Gone Guy: The Return of Haley Joel Osment |Marlow Stern |October 29, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

So far in Season 5, we see a hero willing to accept new people into the fold while staying mindful of potential threats.

The Walking Dead’s Luke Skywalker: Rick Grimes Is the Perfect Modern-Day Mythical Hero |Regina Lizik |October 28, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Still it was better to die struggling than to sit down and fold their hands.

The Greater Republic |Charles Morris
In Recent Geomys the fold is more common in the eastern pinetis species-group than in the western bursarius species-group.

Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily Geomyinae |Robert J. Russell
The earth slopes upward, fold by fold Of quiet hills that meet the gold Serenity of western skies.

The Burning Wheel |Aldous Huxley
I give you a chance to escape me, but I could blow my breath and fold around you a mist which would turn you to ice forever!

The Pearl Story Book |Various
The empty drawer was lined with a newspaper, and he took the paper out to fold it afresh.

The Real Man |Francis Lynde

British Dictionary definitions for fold (1 of 3)

fold ¹

/ (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

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)

fold ²

/ (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 many threefold; three-hundredfold

Word Origin for -fold

Old English -fald, -feald

Medical definitions for fold

fold

[ fōld ]

n.

A crease or ridge apparently formed by folding, as of a membrane; a plica.

In the embryo, a transient elevation or reduplication of tissue in the form of a lamina.

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.

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

fold

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of fold

OTHER WORDS FROM fold

Words nearby fold

Definition for fold (2 of 3)

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of fold

Definition for fold (3 of 3)

Origin of -fold

Example sentences from the Web for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (1 of 3)

verb

noun

Derived forms of fold

Word Origin for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Word Origin for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (3 of 3)

suffix forming adjectives, suffix forming adverbs

Word Origin for -fold

Medical definitions for fold

n.

Scientific definitions for fold

Idioms and Phrases with fold

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

fold

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of fold

OTHER WORDS FROM fold

Words nearby fold

Definition for fold (2 of 3)

noun

verb (used with object)

Origin of fold

Definition for fold (3 of 3)

Origin of -fold

Words related to fold

Example sentences from the Web for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (1 of 3)

verb

noun

Derived forms of fold

Word Origin for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (2 of 3)

noun

verb

Word Origin for fold

British Dictionary definitions for fold (3 of 3)

suffix forming adjectives, suffix forming adverbs

Word Origin for -fold

Medical definitions for fold

n.

Scientific definitions for fold

Idioms and Phrases with fold