# fold

Pronunciation: say "FOHLD" US /foʊld/, UK /ˈfəʊld/

## Verb

1. To bend material over on itself, often to arrange it neatly or make it smaller.
   - Simple: To bend paper, cloth, or similar material so that one part lies over another.
   - _Fold the sheet of paper in half so the edges line up exactly._
   - _He folded the page corner down to mark his place._
2. To become folded; to take on or develop folds, whether by design or on its own.
   - Simple: To bend over on itself, or to take on bends and lines.
   - _The sofa bed folds away into the frame during the day._
   - _Proteins fold into complex shapes inside the cell._
4. Of a business, organization, or organized effort, to fail or come to an end.
   - Simple: For a business, group, or organized effort to fail or stop operating.
   - _The political campaign folded within weeks of the scandal._
   - _Volunteer organizations sometimes fold when their founders move on._
5. To double or lay together, as the arms, hands, or wings, so that the parts overlap each other.
   - Simple: To bring arms, hands, or wings together so they cross or rest over each other.
   - _The heron folded its wings and settled onto the nest._
   - _Interviewers notice when candidates fold their arms defensively._
6. To incorporate an ingredient into a mixture by gently lifting and turning, rather than stirring or beating, so that air is kept in.
   - Simple: To mix one food into another slowly and gently, by lifting and turning, so it stays light.
   - _Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mousse until just combined._
   - _She carefully folded the flour into the beaten eggs._
7. To withdraw from the betting in a hand, giving up any stake already placed.
   - Simple: To quit a hand in a card game instead of betting more money.
   - _Three players folded before the flop, leaving only two in the pot._
   - _Experienced players fold far more often than beginners expect._
8. To fall over, collapse, or give way; to be crushed under pressure or weight. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To fall down or break because something is too heavy or too strong for it.
   - _The scaffold folded under the weight of the extra equipment._
   - _Cheap card tables fold the moment you lean your elbows on them._
9. To give up or withdraw from an activity or contest, or to give way on a point under pressure.
   - Simple: To give up or back down.
   - _Two candidates folded weeks before the primary, leaving just three names on the ballot._
   - _It would be a shame to fold now, with only two chapters of the novel left to write._
17. To enclose someone or something in a wrapping of material; to swathe or cover.
   - Simple: To wrap someone or something up in cloth or another soft covering.
   - _The vendor folded the figurine in tissue paper before handing it over._
   - _Pilgrims fold themselves in heavy cloaks against the desert wind._
19. To wrap the arms, or coils, around someone or something so as to hold it closely; to embrace.
   - Simple: To hold someone or something closely by wrapping your arms around them.
   - _The soldier's mother folded him in her arms at the airport._
   - _Reunited at last, the sisters fold each other in a long embrace._

## Noun

3. A bend or crease formed where a material has been doubled over on itself.
   - Simple: A line or bend made where something thin has been bent over.
   - _The poster arrived with a deep fold across the center from shipping._
   - _Light caught the folds of the heavy curtain as it moved._
10. An act of folding, such as one step in origami.
   - Simple: One act of folding something, like one step in folding paper.
   - _The flag ceremony requires thirteen precise folds._
   - _A single fold turns the sheet of paper into a simple greeting card._
11. A group of people bound by shared beliefs, aims, faith, or family ties, seen as the group one belongs to ('return to the fold').
   - Simple: The group you belong to, such as your family, church, or party.
   - _The party welcomed the defector back into the fold._
   - _Within the open-source fold, contributors share code freely._
14. A pen or enclosure where sheep or other domestic animals are kept.
   - Simple: A fenced area where sheep or other farm animals are kept.
   - _The shepherd repaired the stone wall of the fold before lambing season._
   - _Heavy rain turned the ground inside the fold to mud._
12. A bend or curve in originally flat, layered surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, produced by permanent plastic deformation.
   - Simple: A bend in layers of rock made when the ground was pushed and squeezed.
   - _Geologists mapped a large fold running the length of the valley._
   - _The highway cut exposes folds in limestone formed millions of years ago._
15. A single layer of material, typically cloth, formed where it has been folded or wrapped.
   - Simple: One layer of cloth that has been bent over or wrapped around something.
   - _He tucked the coins into a fold of cloth and tied it tight._
   - _Nurses wrapped the wound in several folds of gauze._
16. The line dividing the part of a newspaper or web page seen first, without unfolding or scrolling, from the rest ('above the fold').
   - Simple: The line below which you must unfold a newspaper or scroll a web page to see more.
   - _The designer moved the headline above the fold to boost engagement._
   - _Analytics showed that half the users never scrolled below the fold._
18. A gentle curve in the surface of the land; a soft hill or shallow valley.
   - Simple: A gentle rise or dip in the land, like a small hill or valley.
   - _A stone cottage lay hidden in a fold of the hills._
   - _Morning mist gathered in the folds of the countryside._

## Noun

13. A single one of the parts of something described as manifold, twofold, fourfold, etc. *(rare)*
   - Simple: One part of something that is described as twofold, threefold, and so on.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A group of sheep or goats, especially those kept together in one enclosure.
- (noun) A section of source code that an editor can collapse out of view to improve readability.
- (verb) To cover something up so that it is hidden; to conceal.
- (verb) To twist locks of hair into braids or tangle them into a mat.
- (verb) To trap or catch someone, as if in a net.
- (verb) To break a long line of text onto several shorter lines so it fits a maximum width.
- (noun) A hug or tight hold in the arms.
- (noun) Any of the loops formed when a serpent winds itself up.
- (noun) Something that wraps around or covers a thing.
- (noun) Any of the hinged sections of a door that collapses in panels as it opens.
- (noun) In functional programming, a function that works through a list or similar structure step by step, combining its parts into a single result.
- (noun) A walled or fenced yard beside farm buildings or a mill.
- (noun) Any enclosed place, or a home.
- (verb) To shut animals, especially sheep, inside a pen.
- (verb) To bring someone into a church or a community of believers.
- (verb) To fertilize a field by keeping sheep penned on it.
- (noun) The ground or the world, or a land or region.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–10, 12–13, 15–19** — The verb comes from Middle English 'folden', from Old English 'fealdan', going back through Proto-Germanic *falþaną ('to fold') to the Proto-Indo-European root *pel- ('to fold'). The noun is derived from the verb.
**Meanings 11, 14** — This noun comes from Middle English 'fold', from Old English 'fald' ('fold, stall, cattle-pen'), from Proto-Germanic *faludaz ('enclosure'). It is related to Danish 'fold' ('pen for livestock') and Swedish 'fålla' ('corral, pen'). The verb is derived from the noun.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/fold (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).