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View synonyms for fold

fold

1

[ fohld ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to bend (cloth, paper, etc.) over upon itself.
  2. 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.

  3. to bring (the arms, hands, etc.) together in an intertwined or crossed manner; cross; entwine:

    He folded his arms on his chest.

  4. to bend or wind (usually followed by about, round, etc.):

    to fold one's arms about a person's neck.

  5. to bring (the wings) close to the body, as a bird on alighting.
  6. to enclose; wrap; envelop:

    to fold something in paper.

  7. to embrace or clasp; enfold:

    to fold someone in one's arms.

  8. Cards. to place (one's cards) facedown so as to withdraw from the play.
  9. Informal. to bring to an end; close up:

    The owner decided to fold the business and retire.



verb (used without object)

  1. to be folded or be capable of folding:

    The doors fold back.

  2. Cards. to place one's cards facedown so as to withdraw from the play.
  3. Informal. to fail in business; be forced to close:

    The newspaper folded after 76 years.

  4. Informal. to yield or give in:

    Dad folded and said we could go after all.

noun

  1. a part that is folded; pleat; layer:

    folds of cloth.

  2. a crease made by folding:

    He cut the paper along the fold.

  3. a hollow made by folding:

    to carry something in the fold of one's dress.

  4. a hollow place in undulating ground:

    a fold of the mountains.

  5. 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).
  6. Journalism.
    1. the line formed along the horizontal center of a standard-sized newspaper when it is folded after printing.
    2. a rough-and-ready dividing line, especially on the front page and other principal pages, between stories of primary and lesser importance.
  7. a coil of a serpent, string, etc.
  8. the act of folding or doubling over.
  9. Anatomy. a margin or ridge formed by the folding of a membrane or other flat body part; plica.

verb phrase

  1. Informal.
    1. to break down; collapse:

      He folded up when the prosecutor discredited his story.

    2. to fail, especially to go out of business.
  2. Cooking. to mix in or add (an ingredient) by gently turning one part over another:

    Fold in the egg whites.

fold

2

[ fohld ]

noun

  1. an enclosure for sheep or, occasionally, other domestic animals.
  2. the sheep kept within it.
  3. a flock of sheep.
  4. a church.
  5. the members of a church; congregation:

    He preached to the fold.

  6. a group sharing common beliefs, values, etc.:

    He rejoined the fold after his youthful escapade.

verb (used with object)

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

-fold

3
  1. 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.

-fold

1

suffix forming adjectives

  1. having so many parts, being so many times as much or as many, or multiplied by so much or so many

    three-hundredfold

    threefold

“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

fold

2

/ fəʊld /

noun

    1. a small enclosure or pen for sheep or other livestock, where they can be gathered
    2. the sheep or other livestock gathered in such an enclosure
    3. a flock of sheep
    4. a herd of Highland cattle
  1. a church or the members of it
  2. any group or community sharing a way of life or holding the same values
“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

verb

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

fold

3

/ fəʊld /

verb

  1. to bend or be bent double so that one part covers another

    to fold a sheet of paper

  2. tr to bring together and intertwine (the arms, legs, etc)

    she folded her hands

  3. tr (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. trfoll byin to clasp (a person) in the arms
  6. trusually foll byround, about, etc to wind (around); entwine
  7. poetic.
    tr to cover completely

    night folded the earth

  8. Alsofold in tr 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. informal.
    introften foll byup to collapse; fail

    the business folded

“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

noun

  1. a piece or section that has been folded

    a fold of cloth

  2. a mark, crease, or hollow made by folding
  3. a hollow in undulating terrain
  4. a bend in stratified rocks that results from movements within the earth's crust and produces such structures as anticlines and synclines
  5. anatomy another word for plica
  6. a coil, as in a rope, etc
  7. an act of folding
“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

fold

/ fōld /

  1. 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.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈfoldable, adjective
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Other Words From

  • folda·ble adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fold1

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”; plait; -fold

Origin of fold2

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

Origin of fold3

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 fold 1; akin to Greek -ploos, -plous ( haplo-, diplo- ), Latin -plus ( simple, double, etc.), -plex -plex
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Word History and Origins

Origin of fold1

Old English -fald , -feald

Origin of fold2

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

Origin of fold3

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

  • return to the fold
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Example Sentences

"In the circumstances, we should not simply fold our hands and pray for miracles," Ole Sapit said, adding that the Catholic bishops reflected the feelings of many Kenyans.

From BBC

“I ask everybody to look at what I’ve done with my career. It’s always been about serving this community, bringing people with means into the fold and making them realize that we need to provide opportunities for everybody,” Lurie said.

Senators, including those being threatened with primary opposition if they stray from the fold, should think long and hard about the impact confirming Gaetz would have on the same prosecutors, victims, juries, and judges who are essential to prosecuting the types of violent crime they claim to care so deeply about.

From Slate

Things will get really interesting when some of the injured stars return to the fold.

From BBC

Lastly, and perhaps the most important, is what and who counts as “white” that has been changing since 2000 and has incorporated some Asian and Hispanic citizens into the fold.

From Salon

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Related Words

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Words That Use -fold

What does -fold mean?

The combining formfold is used like a suffix meaning “of so many parts.” It can also denote multiplication by the number indicated by the first part of the word. It is occasionally used in technical terms.

The form –fold comes from Middle English. The Latin equivalent is –plex, meaning “folded,” which is the source of terms such as duplex and multiplex. Find out more at our entries for both words.

Examples of -fold

An example of a word you may have encountered that features –fold is twofold, “having two elements or parts.”

The two part of the word represents the number “two.” As we have seen, –fold means “of so many parts.” Twofold literally means “of two parts.” It can also mean “twice as much.”

What are some words that use the combining form –fold?

What are some other forms that –fold may be commonly confused with?

Not every word that ends with the exact letters –fold, e.g., scaffold or billfold, is necessarily using the combining form –fold to denote “of so many parts.” Learn why scaffold means “raised framework” at our entry for the word.

Break it down!

The combining form multi means “many.” With this in mind, what does multifold mean?

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from 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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