fold up
Britishverb
-
(tr) to make smaller or more compact
-
(intr) to collapse, as with laughter or pain
-
Fail, especially go out of business. For example, Three stores on Main Street have folded up .
-
Collapse, break down. For example, When she told him about the dog's death, she folded up . This idiom alludes to closing or bringing an object into more compact form. [Early 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As I folded up the sweater, I wondered what my mother had been like.
From Literature
On top of those papers, Jonah could see another one that was half–folded up, as if it had just been removed from an envelope.
From Literature
“Makes sense to me,” said Aunt Pretty, folding up my new duds.
From Literature
Daniel asked, clumsily folding up his tallit as he went and slinging it over his arm.
From Literature
Madame Ionesco had folded up her stool and was now scurrying down the street.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
