fold

fold — 動詞

1. to press a piece of paper, fabric, or other bendable material over onto itself,

1.動詞及物 / 不及物A2
釋義

折疊

將紙張或布料彎折使部分重疊

to press a piece of paper, fabric, or other bendable material over onto itself, creating a crease and reducing its size

例句

Hyun folded the letter carefully and placed it in an envelope.

Hyun 把信仔細折好後放進信封裡。

fold + noun phrase (letter, paper)

This map folds neatly into a small rectangle for storage.

這張地圖可以整齊地折成一個小長方形收納。

intransitive: folds + adverb (neatly)

同義詞
  • bend

    more general — anything curved, not necessarily overlapping

  • crease

    specifically to make a sharp line by folding

反義詞
  • unfold

    to open something that was folded

  • flatten

    to make something flat after unfolding

文法句型

fold + noun phrase (paper, cloth, letter)

fold + adverb/preposition (up, down, in half)

用法筆記

Also used intransitively to describe how well or easily something bends: 'This chair folds flat for storage.' The intransitive form often pairs with an adverb showing the result.

常見錯誤

❌He folded the letter into the envelope' (implying the letter went in folded).
✅He folded the letter and put it in the envelope.
💡'fold into' has a different meaning (to mix in cooking); use separate clauses for placing.

2. to wrap something soft around a person or object, usually to give protection, wa

2.動詞及物B1
釋義

包裹

用軟布等包住他人或物品

to wrap something soft around a person or object, usually to give protection, warmth, or comfort

例句

Élise folded a blanket around the sleeping baby.

Élise 用一條毯子裹住熟睡的嬰兒。

fold + noun + around + noun

Karim folded the scarf gently around his neck before heading out.

Karim 出門前把圍巾輕輕地圍在脖子上。

同義詞
  • wrap

    more common in everyday English, used with the same objects

  • enfold

    more literary or poetic, suggests gentle care

文法句型

fold + noun + around/round + noun

3. to cross both arms over the front of your upper body and keep them there, often

3.動詞及物A2
釋義

交叉手臂

將雙臂交疊於胸前

to cross both arms over the front of your upper body and keep them there, often as a sign of impatience, deep thought, or feeling chilly

例句

Sirin folded her arms and waited for the bus.

Sirin 交叉雙臂站在那裡等公車。

fold + possessive + arms

The teacher folded his arms as he listened to the students explain their ideas.

老師交叉雙臂，聆聽學生們解釋他們的想法。

fold + arms (listening posture)

同義詞
  • cross

    used for both arms and legs: 'cross your arms' means the same as 'fold your arms'

反義詞
  • uncross

    to separate arms or legs that were crossed

文法句型

fold + possessive + arms

fold + arms + across + chest

用法筆記

The object is almost always 'arms' in this sense — you do not 'fold legs' in the same way. This posture often signals impatience, concentration, or defensiveness.

常見錯誤

❌She folded her legs' (when meaning she crossed her legs).
✅She folded her arms' or 'She crossed her legs.
💡'fold arms' is a fixed phrase for this posture; legs are 'crossed' or 'tucked,' not 'folded.'

4. to draw a limb or other body part inward so that it rests near or touches the ma

4.動詞及物B1
釋義

彎曲貼近

將身體部位彎曲靠向身體

to draw a limb or other body part inward so that it rests near or touches the main body

例句

The cat folded its paws underneath its body and closed its eyes.

那隻貓把爪子收在身體下方，閉上了眼睛。

fold + body part + underneath

Lucía folded her legs under her as she sat on the sofa reading.

Lucía 坐在沙發上看書時，把雙腿彎曲收在身體下方。

同義詞
  • tuck

    to place a body part in a folded, close position

  • bend

    more general movement of a joint

反義詞

文法句型

fold + body part + preposition (under, against, toward)

用法筆記

Commonly used with body parts that can bend or tuck — legs, knees, paws, wings, ears. This sense is distinct from 'fold your arms' (sense 3), which refers only to the arms- across-chest posture.

常見錯誤

❌He folded his arms under his head on the pillow.
✅He tucked his arms under his head on the pillow.
💡Use 'tuck' for arms placed underneath; 'fold arms' (sense 3) means arms across the chest.

5. of a company, shop, or restaurant — to close permanently because it cannot make

5.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

倒閉

因經營不善而永久停業

of a company, shop, or restaurant — to close permanently because it cannot make enough money to continue

例句

The small bakery folded after only six months of operation.

那間小麵包店只經營了六個月就倒閉了。

fold (of a small business)

Many local shops have folded since the big supermarket opened nearby.

自從那家大超市在附近開業後，許多當地店家都倒閉了。

同義詞
  • close down

    phrasal verb, slightly more formal and neutral in tone

  • go under

    informal, strongly suggests financial failure

  • go bust

    informal, mainly British

反義詞

文法句型

fold (of a business)

fold + noun (business, company, shop)

用法筆記

Subject is usually a small or independent business, shop, or restaurant. For large companies, 'collapse' or 'go bankrupt' are more common. The transitive use ('fold the business') is less frequent than the intransitive ('the business folded').

常見錯誤

❌The big corporation folded after one bad quarter.
✅The family-run restaurant folded after six years of losses.
💡'Fold' typically describes small businesses failing permanently, not large companies with temporary setbacks.

6. to stop trying to do something or stop arguing because you no longer believe you

6.動詞不及物B1
釋義

放棄

因認為無法成功而停止嘗試

to stop trying to do something or stop arguing because you no longer believe you can succeed

例句

After three hours of trying, Daniel finally folded and asked for help.

Daniel 試了三個小時後終於放棄，開口求助。

informal: fold (give up trying)

The team refused to fold even when they were losing by twenty points.

即使落後二十分，那支球隊仍拒絕放棄。

同義詞
  • give up

    more general and neutral; can apply to any task or goal

  • back down

    specifically in arguments or conflicts; implies retreating from a position

  • capitulate

    formal; usually in negotiations or military contexts

反義詞

文法句型

fold (under pressure/stress)

用法筆記

Informal. Often used in contexts of negotiation, argument, competition, or high-pressure situations. 'Fold under pressure' is a common fixed expression. This sense is related to the card-game meaning (to fold in poker) and came into general use.

常見錯誤

❌I folded my homework because it was too difficult.
✅I folded and asked my classmate for help with the homework.
💡'Fold' means to stop resisting or persisting, not merely to abandon a task. Use 'give up on' for tasks.

7. in a card game, to stop betting on the current round and accept defeat, which pl

7.動詞及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

蓋牌

牌局中認輸蓋牌退出

in a card game, to stop betting on the current round and accept defeat, which players usually signal by laying their cards on the table face down.

例句

After the third round of betting, Pim folded his hand.

第三輪下注結束後，Pim 蓋牌了。

fold + possessive hand

Camila knew she could not beat a full house, so she folded.

Camila 知道自己贏不了葫蘆，於是蓋牌了。

同義詞
  • withdraw

    more formal, used in general competitive contexts beyond card games

  • concede

    focuses on accepting defeat rather than the physical action of putting cards down

反義詞
  • raise

    in poker, to increase the amount being bet rather than stop

  • call

    to match the current bet and continue playing the round

文法句型

fold (intransitive)

fold + noun phrase (one's hand / one's cards)

用法筆記

Frequently used in poker and other betting card games. When a player folds, they lose any money or chips they have already bet in that round. The opposite action is to 'raise' or 'call'.

常見錯誤

❌I folded my cards when I had a very strong hand.
✅I folded my cards when my hand was too weak to win.
💡Players fold because they think they will lose, not because they think they will win.

8. to give up on winning an argument, a competition, or a difficult situation becau

8.動詞不及物B2
釋義

認輸

因認為無法取勝而放棄

to give up on winning an argument, a competition, or a difficult situation because you believe the other side is too strong or there is no hope of success.

例句

After three failed summit attempts, the climbing team folded and went back to camp.

三次攻頂失敗後，登山隊認輸折返回了營地。

Lotte refused to fold under the pressure of her final examinations.

Lotte 拒絕在期末考的壓力下認輸。

collocation: fold under [pressure]

同義詞
  • give up

    more general and common in everyday speech; lacks the competitive-yielding nuance

  • capitulate

    more formal, often used in military or political contexts

  • surrender

    stronger, implies total loss rather than strategic withdrawal

反義詞
  • persevere

    to continue trying despite difficulty

  • resist

    to fight back against pressure rather than yield

文法句型

fold (intransitive)

fold under + noun (pressure / threats / stress)

用法筆記

Often used with 'under' to indicate the force or pressure that causes the person to give up. Distinguish from sense 6, which refers to the general act of ceasing an activity — this sense specifically describes yielding to a stronger opponent or force in a competitive or adversarial context.

常見錯誤

❌The team folded the project after completing it successfully.
✅The team folded the project after it failed to attract enough funding.
💡This sense of 'fold' means giving up on something that is not working, not finishing something successfully.

9. to mix a light or delicate ingredient into a thicker food mixture by gently lift

9.動詞及物B2
釋義

拌入

以翻拌方式輕柔混合食材

to mix a light or delicate ingredient into a thicker food mixture by gently lifting and turning it over with a spatula, rather than stirring or beating, so that the mixture stays light and full of air.

例句

Aoi folded the beaten egg whites into the cake batter.

Aoi 將打好的蛋白輕輕拌入蛋糕麵糊中。

fold + ingredient + into + mixture

Using a rubber spatula, Ritu folded the cream gently into the chocolate sauce.

Ritu 用橡膠刮刀將鮮奶油輕輕拌入巧克力醬中。

同義詞
  • blend

    more general; does not specify the gentle air-preserving technique

  • incorporate

    formal and technical; used in professional recipe writing

反義詞
  • beat

    a vigorous mixing action that adds air rather than preserving it

  • stir

    a circular mixing motion that can deflate light mixtures

文法句型

fold + noun (light ingredient) + into + noun (base mixture)

fold in + noun

用法筆記

Almost always used with 'in' or 'into' to introduce the light ingredient being added to the base mixture. The key difference from 'stir' or 'beat' is the gentle, circular-overlapping motion that preserves air pockets, which is essential for soufflés, meringues, and sponge cakes.

常見錯誤

❌Fold the eggs into the flour by stirring quickly.
✅Fold the eggs into the flour using gentle, slow turning motions.
💡Stirring is too rough and destroys the air bubbles; folding keeps the mixture light.

10. to gather sheep and keep them inside a small, fenced area, especially for shelte

10.動詞及物C1
釋義

關入羊圈

把羊趕入圍欄內

to gather sheep and keep them inside a small, fenced area, especially for shelter or protection during the night.

例句

Before nightfall, the farmer folded the sheep into the stone enclosure.

農夫在入夜前將羊關入石砌的圍欄中。

fold + sheep + into + enclosure

The shepherd folded the lambs safely away from the wolves before dark.

牧羊人在天黑前將小羊安全地關入羊圈，遠離狼群。

同義詞
  • pen

    more common in general use; can apply to any livestock, not only sheep

  • enclose

    more general; does not imply the specific purpose of sheltering sheep overnight

反義詞
  • release

    to let the sheep out of the enclosure

  • free

    to set the animals loose from confinement

文法句型

fold + noun (sheep / flock / lambs)

fold + noun + in/into + noun (enclosure)

be folded (passive)

用法筆記

A specialised agricultural term used primarily in British English and in historical or rural writing. The noun 'fold' refers to the fenced enclosure itself (see noun sense 3). This sense is rarely used in everyday conversation outside of farming communities.

fold — 名詞

fold — 字尾