Macmillan Dictionary

Did you know?

Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word

fold

 - definition
 
 
Close

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing. These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are more frequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Close

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

more
verb British English pronunciation: fold /fəʊld/ 
Word Forms
Close
present tense
I/you/we/theyfold
he/she/itfolds
present participlefolding
past tensefolded
past participlefolded
Other entries for this word
  1. 1
    [transitive] to bend a piece of paper or cloth and press one part of it over another part

    Carrie folded the letter and slid it into a drawer.

    fold something in half/two:

    Fold the paper in half diagonally.

    fold something neatly/carefully:

    She folded the towel neatly and hung it over the rail.

    fold something over/back/down:

    Fold the left flap over and hold it down.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fold
    1. a.
      to cover something by bending a piece of paper or cloth around it
      fold something in something:

      She picked up the insect and gently folded it in a handkerchief.

      fold something around something:

      He folded the newspaper carefully around the plants.

      Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fold
  2. 2
    [intransitive/transitive] if something folds, or if you can fold it, you can bend part of it so that it becomes smaller and easier to carry or store

    Jim folded the penknife and slipped it into his pocket.

    fold (something) up/down/away:

    The bed folds away conveniently for storage.

    fold (something) flat:

    The table folds flat for easy storage.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fold
  4. 4
    [intransitive] if your legs fold, they suddenly become weak and unable to support your weight, so that you fall to the ground

    Sue felt her legs folding under her, then she fainted.

    Thesaurus entry for this meaning of fold

phrases

phrasal verbs

This is the British English definition of fold. View American English definition of fold.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

View the pronunciation for fold.

 

caxirola

a percussion instrument used by football fans which makes a rattling sound when shaken

BuzzWord Article

Word of the Day

emancipation

the process of giving freedom and rights to someone

Open Dictionary

pierce the corporate veil

… the decision to treat the rights and duties of a company as being the same as the rights and duties of its shareholders

add a word

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog