fourfold

IPA/ˈfɔː.fəʊld/
KK[fˌɔrfˈold]IPA/ˈfɔːr.foʊld/

fourfold — adjective

  • fourfoldpositive
  • more fourfoldcomparative
  • most fourfoldsuperlative

1. multiplied so that it reaches four times an earlier size, amount, rate, or level

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

multiplied so that it reaches four times an earlier size, amount, rate, or level

Example

The town's water use rose to a fourfold level during the summer festival.

fourfold + noun for a multiplied amount

After the merger, Caio's team handled a fourfold increase in customer calls.

Common collocations
  • fourfold increase
  • fourfold rise
  • fourfold jump
  • fourfold difference
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

a fourfold + noun

be + fourfold

Usage Note

Most often appears before nouns like increase, rise, cost, or difference in reports and formal explanations. After a linking verb, it normally compares one measured amount with an earlier one.

Common Mistakes

The budget is fourfold than last year.
The budget is fourfold compared with last year.' / 'The budget is four times as large as last year.
Do not use 'fourfold' directly with 'than'.
Sales became fourfold more after the ad.
Sales became fourfold after the ad.' / 'Sales became four times higher after the ad.
'Fourfold' already contains the idea of multiplication, so 'more' is unnecessary.

2. arranged as four separate sections or made up of four matching elements

2.adjectiveC1
Definition

arranged as four separate sections or made up of four matching elements

Example

The leaflet opens into a fourfold map with one panel for each area.

fourfold + noun for an object divided into four sections

The committee proposed a fourfold plan covering housing, jobs, schools, and transport.

Common collocations
  • fourfold plan
  • fourfold division
  • fourfold structure
  • fourfold explanation
Synonyms
  • four-part

    more everyday and direct for structures with four sections

  • quadripartite

    much more formal and mostly used in academic or legal writing

  • four-way

    common for splits, choices, or divisions rather than physical objects

Grammar Patterns

a fourfold + noun

Usage Note

Usually describes plans, structures, explanations, or objects that can be divided into four clear sections. It is not the normal choice for any plural noun that simply contains four separate items.

Common Mistakes

The basket has fourfold apples.
The basket has four apples.
This sense describes a four-part structure, not a simple count of objects.
We need a fourfold chairs setup.
We need a four-part seating plan.
Use 'fourfold' for division or structure, not as a general replacement for 'four'.

fourfold — adverb

Word family

  • four
    numberA1
  • fourth
    adjectiveA1
  • quadruple
    verbC1
  • quadruple
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

For adjective/1, fourfold is a formal way to say that something reaches four times its earlier level. In everyday speech, many people prefer four times as large or four times as much because those phrases are more direct. Quadruple is very close in meaning, but it appears more often in technical writing and can also be a verb, as in Sales quadrupled. Triple names a smaller increase, so it helps when you want an exact step in comparison. Fourfold sounds most natural before nouns like increase, rise, or difference. A report may mention a fourfold increase in rent, while a friend would more likely say the rent became four times higher.

quadruplefour times as largetriple ↗

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Fourfold combines four with the old English ending -fold, a pattern used to show multiplication or division into parts. The form goes back to Old English number words built with -feald, and the same pattern survives in words like twofold and manifold. In modern English, fourfold is mostly used in formal descriptions of measured change or four-part structure.