Dictionary
Thesaurus
Encyclopedia
Translator
Web
Related Searches
Synonyms
Nearby Words

fold

 - 14 dictionary results
Fold California
Fold California Online. Shop Target.com.
www.Target.com

fold

1  [fohld]
Use fold in a Sentence
–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 fol. 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; clasp; cross: He folded his arms on his chest.
4. to bend or wind (usually fol. 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)
10. to be folded or be capable of folding: The doors fold back.
11. Cards. to place one's cards facedown so as to withdraw from the play.
12. Informal. to fail in business; be forced to close: The newspaper folded after 76 years.
13. Informal. to yield or give in: Dad folded and said we could go after all.
–noun
14. a part that is folded; pleat; layer: folds of cloth.
15. a crease made by folding: He cut the paper along the fold.
16. a hollow made by folding: to carry something in the fold of one's dress.
17. a hollow place in undulating ground: a fold of the mountains.
18. 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).
19. Journalism.
a. the line formed along the horizontal center of a standard-sized newspaper when it is folded after printing.
b. a rough-and-ready dividing line, esp. on the front page and other principal pages, between stories of primary and lesser importance.
20. a coil of a serpent, string, etc.
21. the act of folding or doubling over.
22. Anatomy. a margin or ridge formed by the folding of a membrane or other flat body part; plica.
—Verb phrases
23. fold in, Cookery. to mix in or add (an ingredient) by gently turning one part over another: Fold in the egg whites.
24. fold up, Informal.
a. to break down; collapse: He folded up when the prosecutor discredited his story.
b. to fail, esp. to go out of business.
Origin:
bef. 900; (v.) ME folden, falden, OE faldan; c. G. falten; (v.) ME fald, deriv. of the n.; akin to L plicāre to fold, plectere to plait, twine, Gk plékein; cf. -fold

Related forms:
fold⋅a⋅ble, adjective
Fold California
Fold California Online. Shop Target.com.
www.Target.com

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)
7. to confine (sheep or other domestic animals) in a fold.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME fold, fald, OE fald, falod; akin to OS faled pen, enclosure, MLG vālt pen, enclosure, manure heap, MD vaelt, vaelde

-fold

 
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.
Origin:
ME; OE -fald, -feald, c. OFris, OS -fald, G -falt, ON -faldr, Goth -falths, all repr. the Gmc base of fold 1 ; akin to Gk -ploos, -plous (see haplo-, diplo- ), L -plus (see simple, double, etc.), -plex -plex
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To fold
fold 1   (fōld)   
v.   fold·ed, fold·ing, folds

v.   tr.

  1. To bend over or double up so that one part lies on another part: fold a sheet of paper.

  2. To make compact by doubling or bending over parts: folded the laundry; folded the chairs for stacking.

  3. To bring from an extended to a closed position: The hawk folded its wings.

  4. To bring from a compact to an extended position; unfold: folded the ironing board down from the wall; folded out the map to see where we were.

  5. To place together and intertwine: fold one's arms.

  6. To envelop or clasp; enfold: folded his children to his breast; folded the check into the letter.

  7. To blend (a light ingredient) into a heavier mixture with a series of gentle turns: folded the beaten egg whites into the batter.

    1. Informal To discontinue operating; close: They had to fold the company a year after they started it.

    2. Games To withdraw (one's hand) in defeat, as by laying cards face down on a table.

  9. Geology To form bends in (a stratum of rock).

v.   intr.

    1. To become folded.

    2. To be capable of being folded: a bed that folds for easy storage.

    3. To give in; buckle: a team that never folded under pressure.

    4. To weaken or collapse from exertion.

  2. Informal To close, especially for lack of financial success; fail.

  3. Games To withdraw from a game in defeat.

  4. Informal

    1. To give in; buckle: a team that never folded under pressure.

    2. To weaken or collapse from exertion.

n.  

  1. The act or an instance of folding.

  2. A part that has been folded over or against another: the loose folds of the drapery; clothes stacked in neat folds.

  3. A line or mark made by folding; a crease: tore the paper carefully along the fold.

  4. A coil or bend, as of rope.

  5. Chiefly British A hill or dale in undulating country.

  6. Geology A bend in a stratum of rock.

  7. Anatomy A crease or ridge apparently formed by folding, as of a membrane; a plica.


[Middle English folden, from Old English fealdan, faldan; see pel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
fold'a·ble adj.
fold 2   (fōld)   
n.  

  1. A fenced enclosure for domestic animals, especially sheep.

  2. A flock of sheep.

    1. A group of people or institutions bound together by common beliefs and aims: "He is a living testament to the wisdom of admitting lay psychoanalysts into the official fold" (Jerome Bruner).

    2. A religious congregation: The priest welcomed new parishioners into the fold.

tr.v.   fold·ed, fold·ing, folds
To place or keep (sheep, for example) in a fenced enclosure.

[Middle English, from Old English fald.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary
fold

  1. in.
    to fail; to close. : I was afraid my business would fold because of the recession.
  2. in.
    to collapse from drinking. : Dave had just one more drink, and then he folded.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

fold  (v.)
O.E. faldan (Mercian), fealdan (W.Saxon), "to bend cloth back over itself," class VII strong verb (past tense feold, pp. fealden), from P.Gmc. *falthanan (cf. O.N. falda, M.L.G. volden, Ger. falten, Goth. falþan), from PIE *pel-to- (cf. Skt. putah "fold, pocket," Alb. pale "fold," M.Ir. alt "a joint"), from base *pel- "to fold." The weak form developed from 15c. Sense of "to yield to pressure" is from 1398. The noun meaning "a bend or ply in anything" is c.1250, from the verb. Folder "folding cover for loose papers," is first recorded 1911.

fold  (n.)
"pen or enclosure for sheep or other domestic animals," O.E. falæd, falud, a Gmc. word (cf. E.Fris. folt "enclosure, dunghill," Dan. fold "pen for sheep"), of uncertain origin.

-fold 
multiplicative suffix, from O.E. -feald, related to O.N. -faldr; Ger. -falt; Goth. falþs; Gk. -paltos, -plos; L. -plus. Crowded out in Eng. by Latinate double, triple, etc., but still in manifold (q.v.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1fold
Pronunciation: 'fOld
Function: intransitive verb
: to become doubled or pleated

Main Entry: 2fold
Function: noun
: a margin apparently formed by the doubling upon itself of a flat anatomical structure (as a membrane)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Cite This Source
Medical Dictionary

fold 1 (fōld)
n.

  1. A crease or ridge apparently formed by folding, as of a membrane; a plica.

  2. In the embryo, a transient elevation or reduplication of tissue in the form of a lamina.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
Bible Dictionary

Fold

an enclosure for flocks to rest together (Isa. 13:20). Sheep-folds are mentioned Num. 32:16, 24, 36; 2 Sam. 7:8; Zeph. 2:6; John 10:1, etc. It was prophesied of the cities of Ammon (Ezek. 25:5), Aroer (Isa. 17:2), and Judaea, that they would be folds or couching-places for flocks. "Among the pots," of the Authorized Version (Ps. 68:13), is rightly in the Revised Version, "among the sheepfolds."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
Cite This Source
Idioms & Phrases

fold

In addition to the idioms beginning with fold, also see return to the fold.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Search another word or see fold on Thesaurus | Reference
FacebookTwitterFollow us:
Partner Sites:
Ask AnswersEviteExpediaHotelsHotwireLife123LiveDailyMy Way