fold

II. fold² BrE AmE noun [countable]
[Word Family: verb: ↑fold, ↑unfold; noun: ↑fold, ↑folder; adjective: folded, ↑folding]
[Sense 1,2,5: Date: 1200-1300; Origin: ⇨ ↑fold¹]
[Sense 3,4: Language: Old English; Origin: falod]
1. LINE a line made in paper or material when you fold one part of it over another:
Bend back the card and cut along the fold.
2. SKIN/MATERIAL [usually plural] the folds in material, skin etc are the loose parts that hang over other parts of it:
Her dress hung in soft folds.
3. the fold the group of people that you belong to and share the same beliefs and ideas as
return to/come back into the fold
The Church will welcome him back into the fold.
stray from/leave the fold
a former advocate of free market economics who had strayed from the fold
4. SHEEP a small area of a field surrounded by a wall or fence where sheep are kept for safety SYN pen ⇨ corral
5. ROCK technical a bend in layers of rock, caused by underground movements in the earth

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

noun
1. countable a part of sth, especially cloth, that is folded or hangs as if it had been folded
• the folds of her dress

• loose folds of skin

2. countable a mark or line made by folding sth, or showing where sth should be folded

• Why is the place I want to find always on the fold of the map?

3. countable an area in a field surrounded by a fence or wall where sheep are kept for safety

4. the fold singular a group of people with whom you feel you belong or who share the same ideas or beliefs
• He called on former Republican voters to return to the fold.

• She was determined to draw Matthew back into the family fold.

5. countable (geology) a curve or bend in the line of the layers of rock in the earth's crust

6. countable (BrE) a hollow place among hills or mountains
Word Origin:
v. and n. senses 1 to 2 n. senses 5 to 6 Old English falden fealden Germanic Dutch vouwen German falten
n. senses 3 to 4 Old English fald Germanic Dutch vaalt

Thesaurus:
fold noun C
• The fabric fell in soft folds.
• Why is the place I want to find always on the fold of the map?
wrinkle • • crease • • line •
a fold/crease in sth
a wrinkle/line on sth
a neat fold/crease
Fold or wrinkle? Fold is used more about fabric; wrinkle is used more about skin. Folds in fabric are tidy but wrinkles are unwanted. Wrinkles in skin are thin lines; folds are fatter and usually occur because sb is overweight.
Example Bank:
• His father finally accepted him back into the family fold.
• It was a solitary spot in a fold between two hills.
• She hid the note in a fold in her robe.
• The country is now firmly back in the international fold.
• The fabric fell in soft folds.
• The indigenous people were brought into the Catholic fold.
• The troops were hidden by the deep folds of the ground.
• a fold in the land
• billowing folds of clouds
• opposing viewpoints within the Anglican fold
• the heavy folds of his cloak
• the loose folds of flesh under her chin

• The child hid his face in the folds of his mother's skirt.

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

fold / fəʊld / / foʊld / noun [ C ] (BEND)

a line or mark where paper, cloth, etc. was or is folded:

Make a fold across the centre of the card.

specialized a bend in a layer of rock under the Earth's surface caused by movement there

fold / fəʊld / / foʊld / noun [ C ] (SHELTER)

a small area of a field surrounded by a fence where sheep can be put for shelter for the night the fold your home or an organization where you feel you belong:

Her children are all away at college now, but they always return to the fold in the holidays.

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

fold

[fo͟ʊld]
♦♦♦
folds, folding, folded
1) VERB If you fold something such as a piece of paper or cloth, you bend it so that one part covers another part, often pressing the edge so that it stays in place.
  [V n] He folded the paper carefully...
  [V n prep/adv] Fold the omelette in half...
  [V n prep/adv] Fold the blanket back.
  [V-ed] ...a folded towel.
2) N-COUNT A fold in a piece of paper or cloth is a bend that you make in it when you put one part of it over another part and press the edge.
  Make another fold and turn the ends together.
  Syn:
  crease
3) N-COUNT: usu pl The folds in a piece of cloth are the curved shapes which are formed when it is not hanging or lying flat.
  The priest fumbled in the folds of his gown.
4) V-ERG If a piece of furniture or equipment folds or if you can fold it, you can make it smaller by bending or closing parts of it.
  [V adv/prep] The back of the bench folds forward to make a table...
  [V adj] This portable seat folds flat for easy storage...
  [V n] Check if you can fold the buggy without having to remove the raincover.
  [V-ing] ...a folding beach chair. [Also V n adj]
PHR-V-ERG
Fold up means the same as fold. V P When not in use it folds up out of the way... V n P Fold the ironing board up so that it is flat.
5) VERB If you fold your arms or hands, you bring them together and cross or link them, for example over your chest.
  [V n] Meer folded his arms over his chest and turned his head away...
  [V n] Mrs Ringrose sat down and folded her hands in her lap.
6) VERB If a business or organization folds, it is unsuccessful and has to close. [mainly BRIT]
  But as other shops fold, the march of the superstores continues...
  2,500 small businesses were folding each week.
7) N-SING: the/poss N, usu the supp N When someone joins an organization or group, you can say that they have come into the fold. When they leave the organization or group, you can say that they leave the fold.
  The EC brought Spain, Greece and Portugal into the fold...
  He might find it difficult to return to the family fold even when he realizes his mistake.
  Phrasal Verbs:
  - fold in
  - fold into
  - fold up

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

²fold noun, pl folds [count]
1 : a line or mark made by bending one part of something over another part and pressing at the bent edge : a line or mark made by folding something : crease
• the fold in a newspaper
2 : a part of something (such as cloth or skin) that lies or hangs over another part
• hidden in the folds of the curtain
• the folds of her dress
• He had folds of flab around his middle.
3 : the act of folding something
• She made a paper airplane by using a simple series of folds.
4 technical : a bend produced in a rock layer by pressure

- compare ³fold

fold

³fold noun, pl folds
1 [count] : an enclosed area for sheep
2 the fold : a group of people who have a shared faith or interest
• His former colleagues would be glad to welcome him back into the fold.