People often use the word in a non-literal sense, as in to refer to something other than the folding of paper or clothes etc. This article is going to explain what’s meant by “folded” in the slang, figurative sense, and explain how the phrase came into being.
As well as that we will also do a deep dive into common usage of the term and similar and synonymous terms and phrases, before moving on to round off with a section of notable uses of the term in politics and the media.
And without further ado, let’s get down to business.
What does the word “folded” mean in slang?
As a slang word, “folded” simply means “gave in” or “gave up”. It is a succinct way of saying that something, such as a person, a company, or a project, surrendered under pressure and quit or was stopped.
The slang predominantly comes from language surrounding card games, but the idea has been around many centuries prior. That said, the slang can be used in all kinds of circumstances outside of card games, including when giving into social pressures in gang culture or in lively debates, giving into financial pressures in business ventures, or even giving into physical pressures such as in martial arts.
Where does the slang word “folded” come from?
According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the figurative idea of “yielding to pressure” or collapsing dates back to the late 14th century. In this sense, it refers to the physical action of something bending back on itself or crumpling under stress.
However, the use of the term folded as slang in the figurative sense didn’t truly become popular until the early 20th century, following the invention of the card game poker. Technically speaking, poker was invented in the 1820s, but the game saw a lot of refinement in the decades that followed, and by the early 20th century it had arrived at the rules we use today. In poker, and in other card games besides, “to fold” is a strategic decision to quit a hand and concede, making it a direct metaphor for giving up.
In poker, when a player believes that they cannot win a hand, they can take the decision to give up their cards, or “fold” them, by pushing them face-down into the centre of the table. Once they have done this they can no longer continue the hand, and can be considered to have quit or given in/up. They are declaring themselves to have withdrawn from the hand, and are unable to rejoin, even if they would have won the hand.
The phrase “Know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ‘em,” made famous by Kenny Rogers’ song “The Gambler” (1978), solidified this poker-derived meaning in popular culture.
Following the popularity of the slang word “folded” in the game of poker, people started to use the word in a much wider variety of contexts. For example in reference to a failing business that has decided to cease its operations. There’s evidence of its use in this context dating back as far as 1913.
The term soon evolved to general slang, and people started using the slang to refer to losing arguments, and letting others have their way even if you disagreed at first. Similarly, the term has also been used to refer to backing down in terms of deciding not to force an opinion or point of view.
Different ways of using the slang word “folded” - featuring whole sentence examples
As a slang word, the word “folded” is not suitable for academic or business writing. That said however, the term is not vulgar, which means it is suitable for use in polite company.
Here are some example conversation snippets that feature the slang in typical use.
- I folded like a deck chair. I just couldn’t keep going.
- He ran out of momentum and folded like a cheap suit.
- The company folded. It went out of business within the first year due to financial issues.
- I folded, it’s best to admit defeat when the stakes get too high.
- The strategy failed spectacularly - the project folded like a house of cards.
- Of course you folded, you were doomed to fail with that stance on the subject.
Similar words and phrases comparable with “folded”
There are several words and phrases that are similar to “folded” in its slang sense, and they can often be used in its place. Here are some examples:
- Gave up
- Gave in
- Caved
- Quit
- Stopped
- Yielded
- Surrendered
- Folded under pressure
- Forfeit
- Defeated
- Was beat
- Taken leave
- Lost one’s confidence
- Lost momentum
- Couldn’t handle/manage it anymore
- Conceded
- Withdrew
- Backed down/off
- Lost the will
- Retreated
Notable uses of the word “folded” in politics and in the media
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In The Spectator, a British political and cultural news magazine, Theresa May was described as having “folded like a Brompton bike” in the context of Brexit negotiations.
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In a Reddit post on the topic of politics there’s a thread “Trump folded under pressure, pauses tariffs on Mexico and Canada” in which thread users argue that Trump backed down from his earlier strong position. “Given how Trump is the one who backed down, he folded.” This was later followed by “He folded because it was actually a stupid idea and never was going to happen.”
Final word
So, to sum up, the slang “folded” simply means “gave up/in” or surrendered. There are many similar and synonymous words and phrases that can often be used in its place, such as yielded or forfeit.
The idea dates back centuries but the slang didn’t become truly popular until the early 20th century when it was frequently being used in the card game poker. The phrase was further popularised in 1978, when it was discussed in a song by the famous Kenny Rogers called The Gambler.
While there aren’t many notable uses of the slang in classic literature, you often find the term used in political commentary on social media sites.
