refold

verb

re·​fold (ˌ)rē-ˈfōld How to pronounce refold (audio)
refolded; refolding

transitive + intransitive

: to fold again
She folded and refolded her Kleenex into smaller and smaller squares.Julia Alvarez
… religiously refolding the laundry after the kids have messed up the linen closet …A. R. Gurney, Jr.
The waiters refolded their arms. The barman went back to his newspaper.Roger Garfitt
Researchers … have figured out a process that can pull apart the tangled proteins, allowing them to refold and return to their original structure.Robert Ferris

Examples of refold in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Anfinsen saw that the unfolded or misfolded proteins could spontaneously refold into their correct structures. Quanta Magazine, 26 June 2024 No need to refold or pack it away, and no wrinkles or creases to contend with for the next time. L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023 Wipe an area, refold the cloth or rotate the sponge, then wipe the next area. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 13 June 2022 Rather than just refold each bathroom towel and put it back in the same space, invest in a set of storage bags, the kind that are designed to keep everything extremely neat. Amy Schulman, PEOPLE.com, 11 June 2022 Still others require extensive interactions with specialized enzymes that burn energy in order to force other proteins to refold. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 30 Nov. 2020 But Bjorn Burmann from Ohio State University has found a bacterial protein that can refold into two radically different shapes, each with very different roles. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 19 July 2012

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of refold was in 1594

Dictionary Entries Near refold

Cite this Entry

“Refold.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refold. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.

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