fold

Plural: folds

Noun

an angular or rounded shape made by folding
- "a fold in the napkin"
a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church
a geological process that causes a bend in a stratum of rock
a group of sheep or goats
a folded part (as in skin or muscle)
a pen for sheep
the act of folding
- "he gave the napkins a double fold"
An act of folding.
An act of folding.
Any correct move in origami.
That which is folded together, or which enfolds or envelops.
A bend or crease.
That which is folded together, or which enfolds or envelops.
A layer, typically of folded or wrapped cloth.
That which is folded together, or which enfolds or envelops.
A clasp, embrace.
That which is folded together, or which enfolds or envelops.
A coil of a snake’s body.
That which is folded together, or which enfolds or envelops.
A wrapping or covering.
That which is folded together, or which enfolds or envelops.
One of the doorleaves of a folding door.
A gentle curve of the ground; gentle hill or valley.
The bending or curving of one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, as a result of plastic (i.e. permanent) deformation.
The division between the top and bottom halves of a broadsheet: headlines above the fold will be readable in a newsstand display; usually the fold.
The division between the part of a web page visible in a web browser window without scrolling; usually the fold.
Any of a family of higher-order functions that process a data structure recursively to build up a value.
A section of source code that can be collapsed out of view in an editor to aid readability.
One individual part of something described as manifold, twofold, fourfold, etc.
A pen or enclosure for sheep or other domestic animals.
Any enclosed piece of land belonging to a farm or mill; yard, farmyard.
An enclosure or dwelling generally.
A group of sheep or goats, particularly those kept in a given enclosure.
Home, family.
A church congregation, a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church; also, the Christian church as a whole, the flock of Christ.
A group of people with shared ideas or goals or who live or work together.
The Earth; earth; land, country.

Verb

Verb Forms: folded, folding, folds

To bend something over upon itself.
bend or lay so that one part covers the other
- "fold up the newspaper"
incorporate a food ingredient into a mixture by repeatedly turning it over without stirring or beating
- "Fold the egg whites into the batter"
cease to operate or cause to cease operating
confine in a fold, like sheep
become folded or folded up
- "The bed folds in a jiffy"
To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.
To make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending.
To draw or coil (one’s arms, a snake’s body, etc.) around something so as to enclose or embrace it.
To stir (semisolid ingredients) gently, with an action as if folding over a solid.
To become folded; to form folds.
To fall over; to collapse or give way; to be crushed.
To give way on a point or in an argument.
To withdraw from betting.
To withdraw or quit in general.
To fail, to collapse, to disband.
Of a company, to cease to trade.
To double or lay together (one’s arms, hands, wings, etc.) so as to overlap with each other.
To plait or mat (hair) together.
To enclose in a fold of material, to swathe, wrap up, cover, enwrap.
To enclose within folded arms, to clasp, to embrace (see also enfold).
To cover up, to conceal.
To ensnare, to capture.
To split (a line of text) across multiple lines, to obey line length limitations.
To confine (animals) in a fold, to pen in.
To include in a spiritual ‘flock’ or group of the saved, etc.
To place sheep on (a piece of land) in order to manure it.

Examples

After two reraises in quick succession, John realised his best option was probably a fold.
Cardboard doesn't fold very easily.
Fold the egg whites into the batter.
give the bedsheets a fold before putting them in the cupboard.
He folded his arms in defiance.
He watched his opponent fold under pressure, unable to find a single valid word.
If you fold the sheets, they'll fit more easily in the drawer.
The chair folded under his enormous weight.
The company folded after six quarters of negative growth.
With no hearts in the river and no chance to hit his straight, he folded.

Origin / Etymology

The verb is from Middle English folden, from Old English fealdan, from Proto-West Germanic *falþan, from Proto-Germanic *falþaną (“to fold”), from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (“to fold”).
The noun is from Middle English folde, falde, itself derived from the verb.

Synonyms

bend, close, close down, close up, congregation, crease, crimp, faithful, flexure, flock, fold up, folding, pen up, plica, plication, sheep pen, sheepcote, sheepfold, shut down, turn up, bending, buckle#English:_collapse or crumple physically, buckle#English:_give way, give up, surrender, cave in#Verb, cave#Verb, cohort, community, concede, creasing, crumple#Verb, enclosure, fall over, family, give in, give way, home, pen, penfold, pinfold, ply, yield

Antonyms

open, unfold

Scrabble Score: 8

fold: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
fold: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
fold: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

fold: valid Words With Friends Word