Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

fold1

Pronunciation: /fəʊld/
Translate fold | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of fold

verb

[with object]
  • 1bend (something flexible and relatively flat) over on itself so that one part of it covers another:Sam folded up the map
  • (fold something in/into) mix an ingredient gently with (another ingredient), especially by lifting a mixture with a spoon so as to enclose it without stirring or beating:fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture
  • [no object] (of a piece of furniture or equipment) be able to be bent or rearranged into a flatter or more compact shape, typically in order to make it easier to store or carry: [with complement]:the deckchair folds flat (as adjective folding)a folding chair
  • bend or rearrange (a piece of furniture or equipment) into a flatter or more compact shape:the small card table was folded up and put away
  • [no object] (fold out) be able to be opened out; unfold:the sofa folds out
  • Geology cause (rock strata) to undergo bending or curvature: (as noun folding)a more active period of igneous activity caused intense folding
  • Biochemistry (of a polypeptide or polynucleotide chain) adopt a specific three-dimensional structure.
  • 2 [with adverbial] cover or wrap something in (a soft or flexible material):a bag was folded around the book
  • hold or clasp (someone) in one’s arms affectionately or passionately:Bob folded her in his arms
  • 3 [no object] informal (of an enterprise or organization) cease trading or operating as a result of financial problems:the club folded earlier this year
  • (especially of a sports player or team) suddenly stop performing well or effectively.
  • (in poker and other card games) drop out of a hand.

noun

  • 1 (usually folds) a form or shape produced by the gentle draping of a loose, full garment or piece of cloth:the fabric fell in soft folds
  • an area of skin that sags or hangs loosely.
  • 2chiefly British a slight hill or hollow in the ground:the house lay in a fold of the hills
  • Geology a bend or curvature of strata.
  • 3a line or crease produced in paper or cloth as the result of folding it.
  • a piece of paper or cloth that has been folded:a fold of paper slipped out of the diary

Phrases

above (or below) the fold

  • 1printed in the top (or bottom) half of the front page of a broadsheet newspaper and so visible (or not visible) when the paper is folded:they’re holding four column inches above the fold
  • 2positioned in the upper (or lower) half of a web page and so visible (or not visible) without scrolling down the page:click-through yield on ads below the fold is lower

fold one's arms

bring one’s arms together and cross them over one’s chest.

fold one's hands

bring or hold one’s hands together.

Derivatives

foldable

adjective

Origin:

Old English falden, fealden, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch vouwen and German falten

fold in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of fold in the US English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

Word of the day

ludology

/ luːˈdɒlədʒi /
noun
the study of games and gaming, especially video games …