FOLD

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does fold mean? 

• FOLD (noun)
  The noun FOLD has 7 senses:

1. an angular or rounded shape made by folding

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

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

4. a group of sheep or goats

5. a folded part (as in skin or muscle)

6. a pen for sheep

7. the act of folding

  Familiarity information: FOLD used as a noun is common.

• FOLD (verb)
  The verb FOLD has 5 senses:

1. bend or lay so that one part covers the other

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

3. cease to operate or cause to cease operating

4. confine in a fold, like sheep

5. become folded or folded up

  Familiarity information: FOLD used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• FOLD (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

An angular or rounded shape made by folding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

bend; crease; crimp; flexure; fold; plication

Context example:

a bend of his elbow

Hypernyms ("fold" is a kind of...):

angular shape; angularity (a shape having one or more sharp angles)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fold"):

plait; pleat (any of various types of fold formed by doubling fabric back upon itself and then pressing or stitching into shape)

kink; twirl; twist (a sharp bend in a line produced when a line having a loop is pulled tight)

pucker; ruck (an irregular fold in an otherwise even surface (as in cloth))

Derivation:

fold (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

congregation; faithful; fold

Hypernyms ("fold" is a kind of...):

social group (people sharing some social relation)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fold"):

flock (a church congregation guided by a pastor)

Holonyms ("fold" is a member of...):

denomination (a group of religious congregations having its own organization and a distinctive faith)

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural processes

Synonyms:

fold; folding

Hypernyms ("fold" is a kind of...):

geologic process; geological process ((geology) a natural process whereby geological features are modified)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A group of sheep or goats

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

flock; fold

Hypernyms ("fold" is a kind of...):

animal group (a group of animals)

Meronyms (members of "fold"):

sheep (woolly usually horned ruminant mammal related to the goat)

Sense 5

Meaning:

A folded part (as in skin or muscle)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

fold; plica

Hypernyms ("fold" is a kind of...):

anatomical structure; bodily structure; body structure; complex body part; structure (a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing and its construction and arrangement)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fold"):

epicanthic fold; epicanthus (a vertical fold of skin over the nasal canthus; typical for many east Asian peoples; sometimes occurs in Down's syndrome)

plica vocalis; vocal band; vocal cord; vocal fold (either of two pairs of folds of mucous membrane projecting into the larynx)

ruga ((anatomy) a fold or wrinkle or crease)

tentorium ((anatomy) a fold of dura mater that covers the cerebellum and supports the occipital lobes of the cerebrum)

Sense 6

Meaning:

A pen for sheep

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

fold; sheep pen; sheepcote; sheepfold

Hypernyms ("fold" is a kind of...):

pen (an enclosure for confining livestock)

Derivation:

fold (confine in a fold, like sheep)

Sense 7

Meaning:

The act of folding

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

fold; folding

Context example:

he gave the napkins a double fold

Hypernyms ("fold" is a kind of...):

change of shape (an action that changes the shape of something)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "fold"):

pleating; plication (the act of folding in parallel folds)

Derivation:

fold (become folded or folded up)

fold (bend or lay so that one part covers the other)

• FOLD (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they fold    ... he / she / it folds   
Past simple: folded   
Past participle: folded   
-ing form: folding   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Bend or lay so that one part covers the other

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

fold; fold up; turn up

Context example:

turn up your collar

Hypernyms (to "fold" is one way to...):

change surface (undergo or cause to undergo a change in the surface)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fold"):

pleat; plicate (fold into pleats)

crease; furrow; wrinkle (make wrinkled or creased)

crease; crinkle; crisp; ruckle; scrunch; scrunch up; wrinkle (make wrinkles or creases on a smooth surface; make a pressed, folded or wrinkled line in; 'crisp' is archaic)

corrugate (fold into ridges)

pleat; ruffle (pleat or gather into a ruffle)

tuck (make a tuck or several folds in)

crimp; pinch (make ridges into by pinching together)

cross (fold so as to resemble a cross)

collapse (fold or close up)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Antonym:

unfold (spread out or open from a closed or folded state)

Derivation:

fold (the act of folding)

fold (an angular or rounded shape made by folding)

folder (covering that is folded over to protect the contents)

folding (the act of folding)

Sense 2

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

Fold the egg whites into the batter

Hypernyms (to "fold" is one way to...):

incorporate; integrate (make into a whole or make part of a whole)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something PP

Sentence example:

They fold the sheets

Sense 3

Meaning:

Cease to operate or cause to cease operating

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

close; close down; close up; fold; shut down

Context example:

close up the shop

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fold"):

adjourn; retire; withdraw (break from a meeting or gathering)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something

Sentence example:

The business is going to fold

Sense 4

Meaning:

Confine in a fold, like sheep

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Synonyms:

fold; pen up

Hypernyms (to "fold" is one way to...):

confine; constrain; hold; restrain (to close within bounds, or otherwise limit or deprive of free movement)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

fold (a pen for sheep)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Become folded or folded up

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

fold; fold up

Context example:

The bed folds in a jiffy

Hypernyms (to "fold" is one way to...):

change (undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "fold"):

crease; crinkle; crumple; rumple; wrinkle (become wrinkled or crumpled or creased)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence examples:

The sheets didn't fold
These fabrics fold easily

Derivation:

fold (the act of folding)

 Context examples 

He folded the check away in his pocket.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

"My darling child!" she cried, folding the little girl in her arms and covering her face with kisses.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Insulin production can increase two- to three-fold, but only when the blood glucose amount is high.

(Researchers Develop Insulin-Producing Cells Activated by Light for Diabetes, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

“At four o'clock, therefore, we may expect this peace-making gentleman,” said Mr. Bennet, as he folded up the letter.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Holmes folded up his check and placed it carefully in his notebook.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

He took a piece of white paper folded up out of his waistcoat pocket.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

As cells age, negative processes increase, reducing proteins' ability to fold.

(Study reveals how collapse of protein processes is driver of aging and death, National Science Foundation)

They found that phantom brightness enhancements appear in places where the viewer is looking through a "fold" in the curtain.

(Saturn Moon's Activity Could Be 'Curtain Eruptions', NASA)

Proteins function by folding, origami-like, and interacting with specific biomolecular structures.

(Biomaterial Artificial Protein Helps Heal Tissue, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

Alvespimycin binds to HSP90, a chaperone protein that aids in the assembly, maturation and folding of proteins.

(Alvespimycin, NCI Thesaurus)