- 1[countable] a container that you pour a liquid or soft substance into, which then becomes solid in the same shape as the container, for example when it is cooled or cooked A clay mould is used for casting bronze statues. Pour the chocolate into a heart-shaped mould. They broke the mould when they made you (= there is nobody like you). Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivejello, jelly, terrine, … verb + mould/moldcast something in, make something in, fill, … prepositionin a/the mould, mould for See full entry See related entries: Materials and properties
- 2[countable, usually singular] a particular style showing the characteristics, attitudes or behaviour that are typical of somebody/something a hero in the ‘Superman’ mould He is cast in a different mould from his predecessor. She doesn’t fit (into) the traditional mould of an academic. She is a prolific writer in the same mould as Agatha Christie. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveold, traditional verb + mould/moldbe cast in, be from, come from, … prepositionin a/the mould See full entry
- 3[uncountable, countable] a fine soft green, grey or black substance like fur that grows on old food or on objects that are left in warm wet air There's mould on the cheese. moulds and fungi mould growth The room smelled damp and there was mould on one wall. see also leaf mould Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebread, leaf, slime, … verb + mould/moldbe covered in, be covered with mould/mold + verbform, grow, kill, … mould/mold + nounspore, growth, problem, … See full entry See related entries: How a building looks Word Originnoun senses 1 to 2 Middle English: apparently from Old French modle, from Latin modulus ‘measure’, diminutive of modus. noun sense 3 late Middle English: probably from obsolete mould, past participle of moul ‘grow mouldy’, of Scandinavian origin; compare with Old Norse mygla ‘grow mouldy’.Extra examples Fill the prepared moulds with ice cream. He doesn’t fit into the usual mould of bosses. His brother came from a different mould, being a successful lawyer. Leave the clay in the mould overnight. She is clearly from a different mould from her team mate. The biscuits were covered in green mould. The statues were cast in clay moulds. a mould for a bronze statue a young politician in the mould of the great statesmen of the past houses with mould problems trying to break free of the old mouldIdioms
mould
nounBrE BrE//məʊld//; NAmE NAmE//moʊld//
(especially US English mold) Materials and properties, How a building looksto change what people expect from a situation, especially by acting in a dramatic and original way She succeeded in breaking the mould of political leadership.
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