- [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.
Extra Examples- Fill the prepared moulds with ice cream.
- Leave the clay in the mould overnight.
- The statues were cast in clay moulds.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- jello
- jelly
- terrine
- …
- cast something in
- make something in
- fill
- …
- in a/the mould
- mould for
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- [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.
Extra Examples- He doesn't fit into the usual mould of bosses.
- His brother came from a different mould, being a successful lawyer.
- She is clearly from a different mould from her team mate.
- a young politician in the mould of the great statesmen of the past
- trying to break free of the old mould
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- old
- traditional
- be cast in
- be from
- come from
- …
- in a/the mould
- [uncountable, countable] a fine soft green, grey or black substance like fur that is a type of fungus and 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.
Extra Examples- The biscuits were covered in green mould.
- houses with mould problems
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- bread
- leaf
- slime
- …
- be covered in
- be covered with
- form
- grow
- kill
- …
- spore
- growth
- problem
- …
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’.
Idioms
See mould in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbreak the mould (of something)
- to 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.
they broke the mould (when they made somebody/something)
- used to say that somebody/something is the only person or thing of their/its kind and there will never be another like them/it
- Jenny, after they made you they broke the mould.
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mould