Crease vs. Fold: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
"Crease" refers to a line created by pressing or wrinkling, while "fold" involves bending something over on itself, creating layers.
Key Differences
Crease is a line or mark made on a surface, often fabric or paper, typically due to pressure or wrinkling. Fold refers to bending something, usually flexible, over onto itself, creating a doubled layer.
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Crease often implies a sharp, defined line that can be temporary or permanent, commonly seen in clothing or paper. Fold involves a more deliberate action, bending a material to create a distinct, often flat, overlap.
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Crease can be unintentional, like a wrinkle in a shirt, or intentional, like a crease in trousers. Fold is usually a deliberate action, like folding a letter to fit in an envelope or folding a napkin into a design.
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Crease generally does not change the overall shape of the object but adds a line or mark. In contrast, a fold often alters the shape or size of the object, like folding a paper airplane.
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Crease can be easily made with light pressure and sometimes by accident. Fold requires a more deliberate and often firmer action to create a bend or overlap in the material.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A line made by wrinkling or pressing.
Bending something over itself.
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Result
A line or wrinkle on the surface.
Overlapping layers of the material.
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Reversibility
Often difficult to remove completely.
Can be unfolded, restoring original shape.
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Common Usage
In clothes, paper, soft materials.
In paper, cloth, flexible materials.
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Crease and Fold Definitions
Crease
A line formed by folding or pressing.
He ironed the shirt to sharpen the creases.
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Fold
To bend over or double up so that one part lies on another part
Fold a sheet of paper.
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Crease
An impression or mark made by crushing.
The crease in the poster was visible after it was unfolded.
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Fold
To make compact by doubling or bending over parts
Folded the laundry.
Folded the chairs for stacking.
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Crease
A furrow or line in the skin, often due to age.
Laugh lines added creases around her eyes.
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Fold
To bring from an extended to a closed position
The hawk folded its wings.
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Crease
A wrinkle or ridge on a smooth surface.
The book's spine had several creases from frequent use.
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Fold
To bring from a compact to an extended position; unfold
Folded the ironing board down from the wall.
Folded out the map to see where we were.
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Crease
A line marking a fold, especially on fabric.
The trousers had a sharp crease down the front.
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Fold
To envelop or clasp; enfold
Folded his children to his breast.
Folded the check into the letter.
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Crease
In hockey, an area marked in front of the goal in which an offensive player can score a goal only if the puck reaches the area before the player does.
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Fold
To blend (a light ingredient) into a heavier mixture with a series of gentle turns
Folded the beaten egg whites into the batter.
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Crease
In lacrosse, the circle marked around the goal into which offensive players cannot enter.
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Fold
(Informal) To discontinue operating; close
They had to fold the company a year after they started it.
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Crease
One of the lines in cricket marking off the positions of the bowler and batter or the space between two of these lines.
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Fold
(Games) To withdraw (one's hand) in defeat, as by laying cards face down on a table.
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Crease
A line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance; hence, a similar mark, however produced.
His pants had a nice sharp crease.
His shirt was brand new with visible creases from its store fold.
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Crease
(cricket) One of the white lines drawn on the pitch to show different areas of play; especially the popping crease, but also the bowling crease and the return crease.
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Crease
(lacrosse) The circle around the goal, where no offensive players can go.
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Fold
A part that has been folded over or against another
The loose folds of the drapery.
Clothes stacked in neat folds.
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Crease
(transitive) To lightly bloody; to graze.
The bullet just creased his shoulder.
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Fold
A line or mark made by folding; a crease
Tore the paper carefully along the fold.
A headline that appeared above the fold.
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Crease
A line or mark made by folding or doubling any pliable substance; hence, a similar mark, however produced.
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Fold
(Anatomy) A crease or ridge apparently formed by folding, as of a membrane; a plica.
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Crease
One of the lines serving to define the limits of the bowler and the striker.
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Crease
The combination of four lines forming a rectangle inclosing either goal, or the inclosed space itself, within which no attacking player is allowed unless the ball is there; - called also goal crease.
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Crease
To make a crease or mark in, as by folding or doubling.
Creased, like dog's ears in a folio.
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Fold
A group of people or institutions bound together by common beliefs and aims.
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Crease
An angular or rounded shape made by folding;
A fold in the napkin
A crease in his trousers
A plication on her blouse
A flexure of the colon
A bend of his elbow
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Fold
A religious congregation
The priest welcomed new parishioners into the fold.
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Crease
A slight depression in the smoothness of a surface;
His face has many lines
Ironing gets rid of most wrinkles
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Fold
(transitive) To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.
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Fold
(transitive) To make the proper arrangement (in a thin material) by bending.
If you fold the sheets, they'll fit more easily in the drawer.
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Crease
Make wrinkles or creases into a smooth surface;
The dress got wrinkled
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Fold
(intransitive) To become folded; to form folds.
Cardboard doesn't fold very easily.
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Fold
To fall over; to be crushed.
The chair folded under his enormous weight.
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Fold
To withdraw from betting.
With no hearts in the river and no chance to hit his straight, he folded.
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Fold
To stir gently, with a folding action.
Fold the egg whites into the batter.
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Fold
Of a company, to cease to trade.
The company folded after six quarters of negative growth.
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Fold
To double or lay together, as the arms or the hands.
He folded his arms in defiance.
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Fold
An act of folding.
Give the bedsheets a fold before putting them in the cupboard.
After two reraises in quick succession, John realised his best option was probably a fold.
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Fold
(newspapers) The division between the top and bottom halves of a broadsheet: headlines above the fold will be readable in a newsstand display; usually the fold.
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Fold
The division between the part of a web page visible in a web browser window without scrolling; usually the fold.
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Fold
(geology) The bending or curving of one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, as a result of plastic (i.e. permanent) deformation.
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Fold
(comptheory) In functional programming, any of a family of higher-order functions that process a data structure recursively to build up a value.
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Fold
(programming) A section of source code that can be collapsed out of view in an editor to aid readability.
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Fold
(Christianity) A church congregation, a group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church; the Christian church as a whole, the flock of Christ.
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Fold
A group of people with shared ideas or goals or who live or work together.
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Fold
To lap or lay in plaits or folds; to lay one part over another part of; to double; as, to fold cloth; to fold a letter.
As a vesture shalt thou fold them up.
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Fold
To double or lay together, as the arms or the hands; as, he folds his arms in despair.
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Fold
To inclose within folds or plaitings; to envelop; to infold; to clasp; to embrace.
A face folded in sorrow.
We will descend and fold him in our arms.
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Fold
To cover or wrap up; to conceal.
Nor fold my fault in cleanly coined excuses.
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Fold
To become folded, plaited, or doubled; to close over another of the same kind; to double together; as, the leaves of the door fold.
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Fold
A doubling,esp. of any flexible substance; a part laid over on another part; a plait; a plication.
Mummies . . . shrouded in a number of folds of linen.
Folds are most common in the rocks of mountainous regions.
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Fold
Times or repetitions; - used with numerals, chiefly in composition, to denote multiplication or increase in a geometrical ratio, the doubling, tripling, etc., of anything; as, fourfold, four times, increased in a quadruple ratio, multiplied by four.
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Fold
That which is folded together, or which infolds or envelops; embrace.
Shall from your neck unloose his amorous fold.
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Fold
An inclosure for sheep; a sheep pen.
Leaps o'er the fence with ease into the fold.
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Fold
A flock of sheep; figuratively, the Church or a church; as, Christ's fold.
There shall be one fold and one shepherd.
The very whitest lamb in all my fold.
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Fold
An angular or rounded shape made by folding;
A fold in the napkin
A crease in his trousers
A plication on her blouse
A flexure of the colon
A bend of his elbow
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Fold
A group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church
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Fold
Bend or lay so that one part covers the other;
Fold up the newspaper
Turn up your collar
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Fold
Incorporate a food ingredient into a mixture by repeatedly turning it over without stirring or beating;
Fold the egg whites into the batter
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Fold
Cease to operate or cause to cease operating;
The owners decided to move and to close the factory
My business closes every night at 8 P.M.
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Fold
To bend something flexible over on itself.
She folded the letter neatly into thirds.
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Fold
A bend in a material, forming layers.
The origami crane had many precise folds.
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Fold
To enclose or wrap something by overlapping.
He folded the blanket around the sleeping child.
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Fold
To reduce in size by doubling over.
She folded the map to fit in her pocket.
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Fold
To bring two parts together.
The chef folded the ingredients gently into the batter.
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Repeatedly Asked Queries
How does folding affect paper?
Folding paper creates a visible line or edge.
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Are creases always unwanted?
Not always; creases can be intentional, like in trousers.
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Do creases affect material strength?
Repeated creasing can weaken some materials.
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Are all folds in clothing intentional?
No, some are accidental or due to wear.
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Do all papers crease the same way?
Different papers crease differently based on thickness and quality.
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Can creases be permanent?
Some creases, especially in fabric, can become permanent.
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Can you fold any material?
Most flexible materials can be folded, but some might break.
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How do you prevent creases in clothes?
By hanging or folding them properly.
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Do creases have any functional purpose?
Yes, like guiding a fold or providing a visual cue.
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Can folding damage electronics?
Repeated folding can damage flexible electronic screens.
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Does paper weaken at the crease?
Yes, paper can weaken where it is creased.
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Can folding be reversed?
Many folds can be unfolded, but a mark may remain.
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Is folding important in packaging?
Yes, for efficient use of space and protection of items.
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.