foldable

1 of 2

adjective

fold·​able ˈfōl-də-bəl 

: 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

Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific and Germany’s Diehl Aviation were both double winners, with Diehl impressing with its smart design for an accessible airplane lavatory with wide doors and foldable sinks. —Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2025

Apple's foldable ambitions have faced numerous issues. —Will McCurdy, PC Magazine, 6 Apr. 2025

Noun

This is more expensive than Samsung, Google, and OnePlus foldables, but Apple fans are likely to give it a warm reception. —Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Although many OEMs saw double- and triple-digit growth, the market’s overall growth was impacted by Samsung’s tough Q4 due to political instability, and OPPO cutting production of its more affordable clamshell foldables. —Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025

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