fold¹ (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.
8. 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. 1. To become folded.
   2. To be capable of being folded: a bed that folds for easy storage.
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.]

foldable fold'a·ble adj.

fold² (fōld)
n.

1. A fenced enclosure for domestic animals, especially sheep.
2. A flock of sheep.
3. 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.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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