To bend over or double up so that one part lies on another part: fold a sheet of paper.
To make compact by doubling or bending over parts: folded the laundry; folded the chairs for stacking.
To bring from an extended to a closed position: The hawk folded its wings.
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.
To place together and intertwine: fold one's arms.
To envelop or clasp; enfold: folded his children to his breast; folded the check into the letter.
To blend (a light ingredient) into a heavier mixture with a series of gentle turns: folded the beaten egg whites into the batter.
Informal To discontinue operating; close: They had to fold the company a year after they started it. Games To withdraw (one's hand) in defeat, as by laying cards face down on a table.
Geology To form bends in (a stratum of rock).
To become folded. To be capable of being folded: a bed that folds for easy storage.
Informal To close, especially for lack of financial success; fail.
Games To withdraw from a game in defeat.
Informal To give in; buckle: a team that never folded under pressure. To weaken or collapse from exertion.
The act or an instance of folding.
A part that has been folded over or against another: the loose folds of the drapery; clothes stacked in neat folds.
A line or mark made by folding; a crease: tore the paper carefully along the fold; a headline that appeared above the fold.
A coil or bend, as of rope.
Chiefly British A hill or dale in undulating country.
Geology A bend in a stratum of rock.
Anatomy A crease or ridge apparently formed by folding, as of a membrane; a plica.
A fenced enclosure for livestock, especially sheep.
A flock of sheep.
A group of people or institutions bound together by common beliefs and aims. A religious congregation: The priest welcomed new parishioners into the fold.