foldable

1 of 2

adjective

fold·​able ˈfōl-də-bəl How to pronounce foldable (audio)
: capable of being folded (as for storage) : folding
a foldable chair
… as he wanders the country and the globe with just the clothes on his back, his expired passport, a debit card and a foldable toothbrush.David Hendricks

foldable

2 of 2

noun

plural foldables
: something that can be folded
Vertical rows of shelves hold all the foldables like sweaters and polo shirts.House Beautiful
especially : a device (such as a tablet computer or smartphone) that can be folded for storage
Foldables are increasingly becoming a normal part of the tech community. Just look at the handful of foldable smartphones around, so don't expect this trend to fizzle out anytime soon. Spy

Examples of foldable in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The latter leads to a beach area with foldable platforms and an openable aft hatch. Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024 That doesn’t match the 8.6mm depth of the Galaxy S24 Ultra (and, of course, all these measurements handily ignore any camera island jutting out the rear of the phone), but the impact of this change when holding a foldable will be noticeable. Ewan Spence, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 This thin, foldable pick from Kalidi is a gamechanger when packing space in my suitcase is running low. Kristin Braswell, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2024 Phi Villa Oversized Padded Zero Gravity Chair $120 $109 Go ahead, treat yourself to this ultra-comfy foldable patio recliner. Marilyn La Jeunesse, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Mar. 2024 One interesting upgrade is that the Flip 6—and the new Fold—won’t have a crease in the middle of the foldable screen. Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Instead of a sofa that converts into a bed, a traditional Japanese-style futon, like this pick from Fuli, consists of a foldable mattress that lies directly on the floor or on top of a thin mat. Jenna Clark, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Feb. 2024 There are no firm details about what format the device would take, except that Apple had first considered making a foldable iPad instead. Boone Ashworth, WIRED, 10 Feb. 2024 To get a foldable phone down to a price that does not seem outlandish means the focus and budget that goes on the display needs to come from somewhere else. Ewan Spence, Forbes, 17 Feb. 2024
Noun
Finally, like many foldables in 2024, the Fold 2 is tweaking the aspect ratio of previous models to create a more user-friendly cover display and larger internal screen. Ewan Spence, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 In late March, Samsung will extend Galaxy AI features to the S23 series — including the S23 FE — as well as recent foldables and tablets as part of the One UI 6.1 update. Allison Johnson, The Verge, 22 Feb. 2024 Cook had reportedly approached Apple engineers as early as 2018 about the possibility of foldables. Kyle Barr / Gizmodo, Quartz, 8 Feb. 2024 And to Honor’s credit, even with a six month waiting period (during which major brands like Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo and Huawei all launched new foldables), the Magic V2 is still the thinnest and lightest foldable phone of them all. Ben Sin, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Considering that that's markedly better than some LCD laptops have performed on this test, HP's innovations show the potential battery life gains to be had beyond foldables. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 22 Dec. 2023 With all eyes on Samsung’s new foldables yesterday, Oppo subbrand OnePlus couldn’t help itself. Jon Porter, The Verge, 3 Oct. 2023 Abt Electronics/YouTube Like other foldables, the crease can seemingly catch reflections and glare when the device is bent. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2024 As expected, price premiums will continue to hold back the adoption of foldables. Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 10 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'foldable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

fold entry 1 + -able

Noun

derivative of foldable entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective

1648, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1904, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of foldable was in 1648

Dictionary Entries Near foldable

Cite this Entry

“Foldable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foldable. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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