enfold

verb

en·​fold in-ˈfōld 

en-

enfolded; enfolding; enfolds

transitive verb

1

a

: to cover with or as if with folds : envelop

b

: to surround with a covering : contain

2

: to clasp within the arms : embrace

Synonyms

• bosom
• bower
• circumfuse
• cocoon
• embosom
• embower
• embrace
• enclose
• inclose
• encompass
• enshroud
• enswathe
• envelop
• enwrap
• invest
• involve
• lap
• mantle
• muffle
• shroud
• swathe
• veil
• wrap

Examples of enfold in a Sentence

The dish is made of vegetables enfolded in a pastry crust.

We watched as darkness enfolded the city.

Recent Examples on the Web

But there’s another loss enfolded into that one, a loss that’s just sort of…there. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Jan. 2025

Image The area, enfolded by the city, seems modest, even discreet. —Scott Mowbray Amrita Chandradas, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025

Brain rot is thus a strikingly capacious term, enfolding the psychological and cognitive decay wrought by screen addiction, the bacteria-like content that feeds the addiction, and the argot of a generation for whom much of this content is made. —Jessica Winter, The New Yorker, 16 Dec. 2024

The way Colman enfolded himself into the family, into the group, that’s a bond that’s gonna last forever with each one of us. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

enfold

verb

en·​fold in-ˈfōld 

1

: to cover with folds : enclose in the folds of something

2

: embrace entry 1 sense 1, hug