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 byup ).

   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. fold up

   1. to break down; collapse.

      He folded up when the prosecutor discredited his story.

   2. to fail, especially to go out of business.

2. fold in,  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

/ 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. to clasp (a person) in the arms

6. to wind (around); entwine

7. poetic,  (tr) to cover completely

   night folded the earth

8. Also: fold 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,  to collapse; fail

    the business folded

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

fold

²

/ fəʊld /

noun

1. 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

2. a church or the members of it

3. any group or community sharing a way of life or holding the same values

verb

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

-fold

³

suffix

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

   threefold

   three-hundredfold

fold

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.

Other Word Forms

• foldable adjective

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of fold¹

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

Origin of fold²

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

Origin of fold³

Old English -fald , -feald

Idioms and Phrases

• return to the fold

Example Sentences

Newspaper circulation is dwindling, and papers are folding left and right.

From Salon

Therrien is famous for his large-scale sculptures — towering stacks of vertigo-inducing dishes, giant beards, enormous folding chairs and oversized pots and pans in humongous cupboards — but each piece is a “trap door,” says Schad.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s gentler, friendlier, the kind of heat you can fold into a Tuesday dinner without anyone feeling dared.

From Salon

It’s easy to be cynical about hard-core fandom, especially the more parasocial folds.

From Salon

Hundreds of people waited, sitting on black metal folding chairs or standing in groups, hoping for an email or phone call telling them they’d received a tentative offer.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bend 
• crimp 
• curl 
• knit 
• tuck 

When To Use

What does -fold mean?

The combining form -fold 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.