fold

CEFRB1

/ˈfəʊld/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To bend something so one part covers another part.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To draw or coil (one’s arms, a snake’s body, etc.) around something so as to enclose or embrace it.

Examples

  • Fold the napkins and put one by each plate.

  • Please fold the blankets and place them in the wooden chest.

At a glance

Sits at B1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈfɒʊɫd]
  • [ˈfɔwɫd]

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings

  1. To make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending.

  2. To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.

  3. To stir (semisolid ingredients) gently, with an action as if folding over a solid.

More examples

In context

  • With great effort she managed to fold one more.

  • If you fold the sheets, they'll fit more easily in the drawer.

  • Next, fold the paper over, so the right half is on top of the left half.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Please blank the clean laundry carefully before putting it away in the drawer.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

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”). Cognate with Dutch vouwen, German falten. The noun is from Middle English folde, falde, itself derived from the verb.