What does fold mean?

Definitions for fold
foʊldfold

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word fold.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. fold, crease, plication, flexure, crimp, bendnoun

    an angular or rounded shape made by folding

    "a fold in the napkin"; "a crease in his trousers"; "a plication on her blouse"; "a flexure of the colon"; "a bend of his elbow"

  2. congregation, fold, faithfulnoun

    a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church

  3. fold, foldingnoun

    a geological process that causes a bend in a stratum of rock

  4. flock, foldnoun

    a group of sheep or goats

  5. fold, plicanoun

    a folded part (as in skin or muscle)

  6. fold, sheepfold, sheep pen, sheepcotenoun

    a pen for sheep

  7. fold, foldingverb

    the act of folding

    "he gave the napkins a double fold"

  8. fold, fold up, turn upverb

    bend or lay so that one part covers the other

    "fold up the newspaper"; "turn up your collar"

  9. foldverb

    incorporate a food ingredient into a mixture by repeatedly turning it over without stirring or beating

    "Fold the egg whites into the batter"

  10. close up, close, fold, shut down, close downverb

    cease to operate or cause to cease operating

    "The owners decided to move and to close the factory"; "My business closes every night at 8 P.M."; "close up the shop"

  11. pen up, foldverb

    confine in a fold, like sheep

  12. fold, fold upverb

    become folded or folded up

    "The bed folds in a jiffy"

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. FOLDnoun

    Etymology: falæd, falð, Saxon.

    His eyes he open’d, and beheld a field
    Part arable and tilth; whereon were sheaves
    New reap’d; the other part, sheepwalks and folds. John Milton.

    In thy book record their groans,
    Who were thy sheep, and in their ancient fold
    Slain. John Milton.

    Time drives the flocks from field to fold,
    When rivers rage and rocks grow cold;
    And Philomel becometh dumb,
    And all complain of cares to come. Walter Raleigh.

    And this you see I scarcely drag along,
    Who yeaning on the rocks has left her young,
    The hope and promise of my failing fold. John Dryden, Virgil.

    Secure from meeting, they’re distinctly roll’d;
    Nor leave their seats, and pass the dreadful fold. Thomas Creech.

    She in this trice of time
    Commits a thing so monstrous, to dismantle
    So many folds of favour! William Shakespeare, King Lear.

    The ancient Egyptian mummies were shrowded in a number of folds of linen, besmeared with gums. Francis Bacon, N. Hist.

    Not with indented wave,
    Prone on the ground, as since; but on his rear
    Circular base of rising folds, that tower’d
    Fold above fold, a surging maze! John Milton, Paradise Lost.

    Let the draperies be nobly spread upon the body, and let the folds be large: the parts should be often traversed by the flowing of the folds. John Dryden, Dufresnoy.

    With fear and wonder seiz’d, the crowd beholds
    The gloves of death, with seven distinguish’d folds
    Of tough bull hides. John Dryden, Virg. Æn.

    The inward coat of a lion’s stomach has stronger folds than a human, but in other things not much different. Arbuthnot.

    But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit; some an hundred fold, some sixty fold, some thirty fold. Matt.

    At last appear
    Hell bounds, high reaching to the horrid roof,
    And thrice three fold the gates: three folds were brass,
    Three iron, three of adamantine rock. John Milton, Parad. Lost.

    Their martyr’d blood and ashes sow
    O’er all th’ Italian fields, where still doth sway
    The triple tyrant; that from these may grow
    A hundred fold. John Milton.

  2. To Foldverb

    Etymology: from the noun.

    The star that bids the shepherd fold,
    Now the top of heav’n doth hold. John Milton.

    We see that the folding of sheep helps ground, as well by their warmth as by their compost. Francis Bacon, Natural History.

    She in pens his flocks will fold,
    And then produce her dairy store,
    With wine to drive away the cold,
    And unbought dainties of the poor. John Dryden, Horace.

    As a vesture shalt thou fold them up. Heb. i. 12.

    Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep. Prov. vi. 10.

    They be folden together as thorns. Nah. i. 10.

    I have seen her rise from her bed, unlock her closet, take forth paper, fold it, write upon’t, read it, seal it, and again return to bed. William Shakespeare.

    Conscious of its own impotence, it folds its arms in despair, and sits cursing in a corner. Jeremy Collier, of Envy.

    Both furl their sails, and strip them for the fight;
    Their folded sheets dismiss the useless air. John Dryden, Ann. Mir.

    We will descend and fold him in our arms. William Shakespeare, Rich. II.

    Witness my son, now in the shade of death,
    Whose bright outshining beams thy cloudy wrath
    Hath in eternal darkness folded up. William Shakespeare, Richard III.

    The fires i’ th’ lowest hell fold in the people! William Shakespeare, Coriol.

  3. To Foldverb

    To close over another of the same kind; to join with another of the same kind.

    The two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. 1 Kings vi. 34.

ChatGPT

  1. fold

    In a general context, "fold" refers to the action of bending something flexible and relatively flat over on itself so that one part covers another. It can also refer to the line or crease made by this action. In a broader context, it can also refer to including or incorporating a particular thing within a larger group or body. However, the definition can vary depending on the context, such as origami, geology, biology, computer science, etc.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Foldverb

    to lap or lay in plaits or folds; to lay one part over another part of; to double; as, to fold cloth; to fold a letter

  2. Foldverb

    to double or lay together, as the arms or the hands; as, he folds his arms in despair

  3. Foldverb

    to inclose within folds or plaitings; to envelop; to infold; to clasp; to embrace

  4. Foldverb

    to cover or wrap up; to conceal

  5. Foldverb

    to become folded, plaited, or doubled; to close over another of the same kind; to double together; as, the leaves of the door fold

  6. Fold

    a doubling,esp. of any flexible substance; a part laid over on another part; a plait; a plication

  7. Fold

    times or repetitions; -- used with numerals, chiefly in composition, to denote multiplication or increase in a geometrical ratio, the doubling, tripling, etc., of anything; as, fourfold, four times, increased in a quadruple ratio, multiplied by four

  8. Fold

    that which is folded together, or which infolds or envelops; embrace

  9. Foldnoun

    an inclosure for sheep; a sheep pen

  10. Foldnoun

    a flock of sheep; figuratively, the Church or a church; as, Christ's fold

  11. Foldnoun

    a boundary; a limit

  12. Foldverb

    to confine in a fold, as sheep

  13. Foldverb

    to confine sheep in a fold

  14. Etymology: [OE. folden, falden, AS. fealdan; akin to OHG. faltan, faldan, G. falten, Icel. falda, Dan. folde, Sw. flla, Goth. falan, cf. Gr. di-pla`sios twofold, Skr. pua a fold. Cf. Fauteuil.]

Wikidata

  1. Fold

    A geological fold occurs when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of permanent deformation. Synsedimentary folds are those due to slumping of sedimentary material before it is lithified. Folds in rocks vary in size from microscopic crinkles to mountain-sized folds. They occur singly as isolated folds and in extensive fold trains of different sizes, on a variety of scales. Folds form under varied conditions of stress, hydrostatic pressure, pore pressure, and temperature gradient, as evidenced by their presence in soft sediments, the full spectrum of metamorphic rocks, and even as primary flow structures in some igneous rocks. A set of folds distributed on a regional scale constitutes a fold belt, a common feature of orogenic zones. Folds are commonly formed by shortening of existing layers, but may also be formed as a result of displacement on a non-planar fault, at the tip of a propagating fault, by differential compaction or due to the effects of a high-level igneous intrusion e.g. above a laccolith.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Fold

    fōld, n. the doubling of any flexible substance: a part laid over on another: (pl.) complex arrangements, intricacy.—v.t. to lay one part over another: to enclose in a fold or folds, to wrap up: to embrace.—Fold, in composition with numerals=times, as in Ten′fold.—n. Fold′er, the person or thing that folds: a flat knife-like instrument used in folding paper.—adj. Fold′ing, that folds, or that can be folded, as folding-bed, -chair, -joint, -net, -table, &c.—ns. Fold′ing, a fold or plait; Fold′ing-door, a door consisting of two parts hung on opposite jambs, so that their edges come into contact when the door is closed; Fold′ing-machine′, a mechanism that automatically folds printed sheets. [A.S. fealdan, to fold; pa.t. feóld; Ger. falten.]

  2. Fold

    fōld, n. an enclosure for protecting domestic animals, esp. sheep: a flock of sheep: (fig.) a church: the Christian Church.—v.t. to confine in a fold.—n. Fold′ing. [A.S. fald, a fold, stall.]

Suggested Resources

  1. FOLD

    What does FOLD stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the FOLD acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

British National Corpus

  1. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'fold' in Verbs Frequency: #793

How to pronounce fold?

How to say fold in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of fold in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of fold in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of fold in a Sentence

  1. Wang Guiqiang:

    > SummaryCompaniesSome cities say peak of COVID infections was last monthToo early to say how many infections are severe-Chinese expertChina embassy in South Korea suspends short-term visasChinese state media criticise Pfizer over Paxlovid priceBEIJING, Jan 10( Reuters) - Many parts of China are already past their peak of COVID-19 infections, state media reported on Tuesday, with officials further downplaying the severity of the outbreak despite international concerns about its scale and impact.A summary by Health Times, a publication managed by Peoples Daily, Peoples Daily, said infections have been declining in the capital Beijing and several Chinese provinces. One official was quoted as saying nearly all the 100 million people in Henan province had already been infected.The virus has been spreading freely in China since a policy U-turn in early December after protests against a zero-COVID regime ruthlessly enforced for three years. China reopened its borders on Sunday, removing the last major restrictions.The frequent lockdowns, relentless testing and various levels of movement curbs since early 2020 have brought the worlds second-largest economy to one of its slowest growth rates in nearly half a century and caused widespread distress.With the virus let loose, China has stopped publishing daily infection tallies and has been reporting five or fewer deaths a day since the policy U-turn, figures that have been disputed by the World Health Organisation.Many Chinese funeral homes and hospitals say they are overwhelmed, and international health experts predict at least 1 million COVID-related deaths in China this year.On Tuesday, a Health Times compilation of reports from local government officials and health experts across the country, suggested the COVID wave may be past its peak in many regions.Kan Quan, director of the Office of the Henan Provincial Epidemic Prevention and Control, was cited as saying the infection rate in the central province was nearly 90 % as of Jan. 6. The number of patients at clinics in the province reached a peak on Dec. 19, but the number of severe cases was still high, he said, without giving further details.Yin Yong, acting mayor of Beijing, was cited as saying the capital was also past its peak. Li Pan, deputy director of the Municipal Health Commission in the city of Chongqing said the peak there was reached on Dec. 20. In the province of Jiangsu, the peak was reached on Dec. 22, while in Zheijiang province the first wave of infections has passed smoothly, officials said. Two cities in the southern Guangdong province, Chinas manufacturing heartland, reached their peaks before the end of the year.Separately in the state-run China Daily, a prominent health official said the percentage of severe cases remained unclear.It is still too early to conclude the overall percentage of severe and critical COVID patients in China as different types of hospitals report different numbers, Wang Guiqiang, head of Peking University First Hospitals infectious disease department, was quoted as saying.PFIZER CRITICISMChina has dismissed criticism over its data as politically-motivated attempts to smear its success in handling the pandemic and said any future mutations are likely to be more infectious but cause less severe illness.Testing requirements introduced by several countries, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, Britain, France and others in response to Chinas COVID outbreak, were called out by foreign ministry as discriminatory.Financial markets see the new curbs as mere inconvenience, with the yuan hitting a nearly five-month high on Tuesday.South Korean and Japanese shop owners, Thai tour bus operators and K-pop groups were among those licking their lips at the prospect of more Chinese tourists.Although Beijing also demands negative COVID test results from people landing in China, officials have threatened retaliation against countries mandating tests for visitors from China.The Chinese embassy in South Korea said on Tuesday it will stop issuing short-term visas for Korean citizens.State media has also taken a swipe at Pfizer Inc( PFE.N) over the price for its COVID treatment Paxlovid.It is not a secret that U.S. capital forces have already accumulated quite a fortune from the world via selling vaccines and drugs, and the U.S. government has been coordinating all along, nationalist tabloid Global Times said in an editorial.Pfizers Chief Executive Albert Bourla said on Monday the company was in discussions with Chinese authorities about a price for Paxlovid, but not over licensing a generic version in China.The abrupt change of course in COVID policies has left Chinas health system unprepared, with many hospitals ill-equipped to handle patients in critical conditions and smaller cities scrambling to secure basic anti-fever drug supplies.Yu Weishi, chairman of Youcare Pharmaceutical Group, told Reuters Li Pan firm boosted output of its anti-fever drugs five-fold to one million boxes a day in the past month.Wang Lili, general manager at another pharmaceutical firm, CR Double Crane, told Reuters that intravenous drips were their most in-demand product.The company has since Jan. 5 done away with weekends to meet demand.We are running 24/7.

  2. Indre Rockefeller:

    Because sustainability is about so much more than just using the right materials or getting the right certifications, we fold social issues like workers’ rights and environmental justice into our sustainability ethos.

  3. Sonia Sotomayor:

    It’s hard to believe someone so misinformed sits on the court, but that’s where we are — 100,000 kids are not in ICUs or on ventilators. That’s about 30-fold more than reality per the HHS, even Anthony Fauci admits that most kids are hospitalized with COVID, not because of COVID.

  4. Samuel Asghedom:

    Everything he said in the music is who he was, you stand up for what you believe in. You put your money where your mouth is. You never fold. ... I hope everybody knows that's what bro did. Bro stayed and he died on Crenshaw and Slauson.

  5. Orson Welles:

    I hate it when people pray on the screen. It's not because I hate praying, but whenever I see an actor fold his hands and look up in the spotlight, I'm lost. There's only one other thing in the movies I hate as much, and that's sex. You just can't get in bed or pray to God and convince me on the screen.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

fold#1#6423#10000

Translations for fold

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • vouAfrikaans
  • طوىArabic
  • дипла, паство, отказвам се, сгъване, кошара, сгъвам, гънка, лоно, прегъвамBulgarian
  • plec, plegar, séc, plegament, doblegarCatalan, Valencian
  • přeložit, vrása, foldovatCzech
  • sich geschlagen geben, falten, Falzung, Schoß, zusammenbrechen, in sich zusammenfallen, zusammenfalten, Faltung, Falz, aussteigen, Faltmanöver, unterheben, zusammenlegen, Falte, Gemeinde, nachgeben, Schafspferch, zusammenkrachenGerman
  • ποίμνιο, ανοίγω, διπλώνω, δίπλωμα, μαντρί, στάνη, καταρρέω, πτυχή, πτύσσωGreek
  • doblar, pliegue, aprisco, doblamiento, corral, revolver suavemente, ceder, doblarse, cuna, pasar, derribarse, plegar, doblez, redil, incorporar, dobladura, cercaSpanish
  • تاهPersian
  • viikata, taittaa, mennä nurin, poimu, taittaminen, lopettaa, luovuttaa, kaatua, taittelu, karsina, sekoittaa, antaa periksi, laskostaa, taitella, taitos, sulkeaFinnish
  • pliage, parc à moutons, plier bagage, laisser tomber, s’écrouler, plier, pliure, bercail, s'écraser, pli, sein de l’Église, bergerie, se coucher, concéder, incorporer, replier, s’effondrerFrench
  • fillIrish
  • pregar, dobradura, pregadura, dobrarGalician
  • hajtásHungarian
  • ծալել, կնճիռ, ծալքArmenian
  • pakka, brjóta samanIcelandic
  • piegareItalian
  • 折る, 畳むJapanese
  • Korean
  • tewandin, qat, pêçan, çemandinKurdish
  • plicareLatin
  • whakapekaMāori
  • plooien, zich gewonnen geven, plooi, vouwenDutch
  • dobrar, dobra, dobraduraPortuguese
  • îndoi, pliaRomanian
  • скла́дка, уступа́ть, скла́дывать, перегиба́ть, сложи́ть, перегну́ть, скла́дывание, коша́ра, уступи́ть, складкаRussian
  • saviti, савити, сложити, složitiSerbo-Croatian
  • veck, vika, böja, vikning, fålla, läggaSwedish
  • మడచు, మడత, మడతపెట్టుTelugu
  • bükmek, katlamakTurkish
  • gập lạiVietnamese
  • Chinese

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    being essentially equal to something
    A contiguous
    B omnifarious
    C occlusive
    D equivalent

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