fold

SayFOHLD/foʊld/UK/ˈfəʊld/

Verbfolds, folding, folded

Noun pluralfolds

36 meanings of fold

Practice

1
double oververbtransitive
To bend paper, cloth, or similar material so that one part lies over another.
Fold the paper in half to make a card.
She folded the letter and put it in an envelope.
UsageSay fold the paper in half.
Similarcrease, bend, double
Oppositeunfold
2
close up flatverbintransitive
To bend over on itself, or to take on bends and lines.
This table folds so you can store it in a small space.
The stroller can fold flat to fit in the car.
UsageSay the table folds up or folds flat.
Oppositeunfold
3
creasenouncountable
A line or bend made where something thin has been bent over.
There is a fold down the middle of the paper.
Iron the shirt to remove the folds.
Similarcrease, bend
4
shut down (business)verbintransitive
For a business, group, or organized effort to fail or stop operating.
Like a tent falling down when its poles are taken away.
The band folded after their singer left.
Study groups often fold once exams are over.
Similarfail, collapse, close, founder
Oppositethrive, flourish, succeed
5
arms or wingsverbtransitive
To bring arms, hands, or wings together so they cross or rest over each other.
He folded his arms and waited for an answer.
Fold your hands and sit quietly, please.
UsageUse my, your, his or her: He folded his arms.
Similarcross, tuck, close
Oppositespread, unfold, open
6
mix gentlyverbtransitive
To mix one food into another slowly and gently, by lifting and turning, so it stays light.
Gently fold the egg whites into the cake mix.
She folded the berries into the cream with a big spoon.
UsageSay fold the egg whites into the mix.
Similarincorporate
Note
7
stop betting (poker)verbintransitive
To quit a hand in a card game instead of betting more money.
Like leaving a game early because you know you cannot win.
If your cards are bad, you can fold and wait for the next hand.
She folded as soon as the other player raised the bet.
Note
8
buckleverbcolloquialintransitive
To fall down or break because something is too heavy or too strong for it.
The tent folded in the strong wind during the night.
Weak boxes fold if you stack heavy things on them.
Similarcollapse, cave, crumple
Oppositehold
9
give upverbintransitive
To give up or back down.
Our team was losing by ten goals, so we folded and went home.
Don't fold just because the other team looks stronger.
Similarquit, withdraw, yield, capitulate
Oppositepersist, persevere
10
one turn (paper)nouncountable
One act of folding something, like one step in folding paper.
With one more fold, the paper plane is finished.
Each fold makes the blanket smaller and easier to carry.
UsageSay make a fold in the paper.
11
communitynounfiguratively
The group you belong to, such as your family, church, or party.
After a year away, she came back to the fold and joined the team again.
New workers soon feel like part of the fold.
UsageSay come back to the fold.
Similarcommunity, flock, camp
Note
12
bent rock (geology)nouncountable
A bend in layers of rock made when the ground was pushed and squeezed.
Like the waves in a rug when you push it from both ends.
You can see a big fold in the rock on the side of the mountain.
The cliff shows folds where the rock layers were pushed together long ago.
Note

Less common meanings

13
one partnounrarecountable
One part of something that is described as twofold, threefold, and so on.
Similaraspect, facet, part, strand, element
14
sheep pennouncountable
A fenced area where sheep or other farm animals are kept.
Every evening the farmer drives the sheep into the fold.
A gate at the front of the fold had come loose.
Similarpen, enclosure, pinfold, penfold
Note
15
cloth layernouncountable
One layer of cloth that has been bent over or wrapped around something.
She hid the letter in a fold of her skirt.
The bandage had several folds of cotton over the cut.
Similarply
Note
16
web pagenoun
The line below which you must unfold a newspaper or scroll a web page to see more.
Like a folded newspaper: you can only see the top half until you open it.
Put the sign-up button above the fold so people see it right away.
Most visitors never scroll past the fold on this page.
UsageSay above the fold.
Note
17
wrap upverbtransitive
To wrap someone or something up in cloth or another soft covering.
She folded the baby in a warm blanket.
Mothers fold their babies in warm blankets on cold nights.
UsageSay fold it in a blanket.
Similarwrap, swathe, envelop, shroud
Oppositeunwrap
18
land curvenouncountable
A gentle rise or dip in the land, like a small hill or valley.
The farmhouse sat in a fold between two hills.
Snow stayed longest in the folds of the hillside.
UsageSay in a fold of the hills.
Similarhollow, dip, undulation
Note
19
hugverbtransitive
To hold someone or something closely by wrapping your arms around them.
Grandma folded the crying child in her arms.
She rushed forward to fold her son in her arms.
UsageSay fold someone in your arms.
Similarwrap, clasp, enfold
Note
20
nounarchaic
A group of sheep or goats that are kept together, often in one pen.
21
noun
A block of computer code that can be hidden in an editor to make reading easier.
22
verbrare
To hide something so other people cannot see or know about it.
I will not poyſon thee with my attaint, / Nor fold my fault in cleanly coin’d excuſes, / My ſable ground of ſinne I will not paint, / To hide the truth of this falſe nights abuſes.
1594, William Shakespeare, Lucrece (First Quarto)
23
verbobsolete
To braid hair or make it stick together in a tangled mass.
24
verbobsolete
To catch or trap.
25
verb
To split a long line of text into shorter lines.
26
noun
A hug.
27
noun
A loop made when a snake curls up.
28
nounobsolete
Something put around a thing to cover it.
29
noun
One part of a door that folds.
30
noun
In programming, a function that combines all items in a list into one result.
31
noun
A yard on a farm or at a mill.
32
noun
A closed-in place or a home.
33
verb
To keep sheep or cattle shut up inside a fence.
34
verb
To bring someone into a group of believers.
35
verb
To keep sheep on land so their dung feeds the soil.
36
nounobsolete
The earth, the ground, or an area of land.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of fold apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–10, 12–13, 15–19

The verb 'fold' comes from Old English 'fealdan', meaning to fold. The noun comes from the verb.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

The verb 'fold' descends from Old English 'fealdan'. en.wiktionary.org
Old English 'fealdan' means 'to fold'. en.wiktionary.org
The noun in this sense derives from the verb. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 11, 14

This noun comes from Old English 'fald', meaning a pen or stable for animals. The verb comes from the noun.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

The animal-enclosure noun comes from Old English fald. en.wiktionary.org
Old English fald meant a pen or stable for animals. en.wiktionary.org
The corresponding verb derives from the noun. en.wiktionary.org