folded

fold ¹  (fld)

v. fold·ed, fold·ing, folds

v.tr.

1. To bend over or double up so that one part lies on another part: fold a sheet of paper.

2. To make compact by doubling or bending over parts: folded the laundry; folded the chairs for stacking.

3. To bring from an extended to a closed position: The hawk folded its wings.

4. 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.

5. To place together and intertwine: fold one's arms.

6. To envelop or clasp; enfold: folded his children to his breast; folded the check into the letter.

7. To blend (a light ingredient) into a heavier mixture with a series of gentle turns: folded the beaten egg whites into the batter.

8.

a. Informal To discontinue operating; close: They had to fold the company a year after they started it.

b. Games To withdraw (one's hand) in defeat, as by laying cards face down on a table.

9. Geology To form bends in (a stratum of rock).

v.intr.

1.

a. To become folded.

b. To be capable of being folded: a bed that folds for easy storage.

2. Informal To close, especially for lack of financial success; fail.

3. Games To withdraw from a game in defeat.

4. Informal

a. To give in; buckle: a team that never folded under pressure.

b. To weaken or collapse from exertion.

n.

1. The act or an instance of folding.

2. A part that has been folded over or against another: the loose folds of the drapery; clothes stacked in neat folds.

3. A line or mark made by folding; a crease: tore the paper carefully along the fold.

4. A coil or bend, as of rope.

5. Chiefly British A hill or dale in undulating country.

6. Geology A bend in a stratum of rock.

7. Anatomy A crease or ridge apparently formed by folding, as of a membrane; a plica.

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[Middle English folden, from Old English fealdan, faldan; see pel-² in Indo-European roots.]

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folda·ble adj.

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fold ²  (fld)

n.

1. A fenced enclosure for domestic animals, especially sheep.

2. A flock of sheep.

3.

a. A group of people or institutions bound together by common beliefs and aims: "He is a living testament to the wisdom of admitting lay psychoanalysts into the official fold" (Jerome Bruner).

b. A religious congregation: The priest welcomed new parishioners into the fold.

tr.v. fold·ed, fold·ing, folds

To place or keep (sheep, for example) in a fenced enclosure.

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[Middle English, from Old English fald.]