From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishmouldmould1 British English, mold American English /məʊld $ moʊld/ ●○○ noun 1 shaped container [countable]DFU a hollow container that you pour a liquid or soft substance into, so that when it becomes solid, it takes the shape of the container Another method, used especially for figures, was to pour the clay into a mould. lime jello in a mould2 type of person [singular]TYPE if someone is in a particular mould, or fits into a particular mould, they have all the attitudes and qualities typical of a type of personfit (into) a mould She didn’t quite fit into the standard ‘high-flying businesswoman’ mould.in the same mould (as somebody/something)/in the mould of somebody/something a socialist intellectual in the mould of Anthony Crosland3 → break the mould4 growing substance [uncountable]HBD a soft green, grey, or black substance that grows on food which has been kept too long, and on objects that are in warm wet air → mouldy The chemical was used to kill a mold that grows on peanuts. The walls were black with mould. → leaf mouldCOLLOCATIONS – Meanings 2 & 3verbsbreak the mould (=do things in a completely new way)The program broke the mould of the traditional TV chat show.fit the mould (=be like other things of the same type)She doesn't fit the mould of the stereotypical mother.be in the mould of somebody/something (=to be similar to something)As an actor he is in the mould of Bruce Lee.be cast in a mould (=be very like something )He didn't want to be cast in the mould of being an academic.come from a different/the same mould (=be different from or similar to other things of the same type)He clearly comes from a different mould than his brother.adjectivesthe traditional/classic mould (=the usual way)He was not a conservative in the traditional mould.
Examples from the Corpusmould• One pupil envisaged mould as a tiny plant with little legs, which moved from place to place.• The internal mould shows the gently-curving suture lines.• Cultivation: The planting medium should consist of clay, peat, loam or leaf mould and a good layer of sand.• Although not unattractive, he was cut in a rougher mould than his father.• Remember too, that a nut going mouldy in air has room for the mould to show as fibres or a crust.• He obtained a sample of the mould from Fleming, and discovered that it had been incorrectly identified.• What the mould is growing on appears to be a cornflake.• The teeth it exposed were greened with mould, and sharpened.mouldmould2 British English, mold American English verb 1 [transitive]DFCTI to shape a soft substance by pressing or rolling it or by putting it into a mouldmould something into something Mould the sausage meat into little balls. moulded plastic chairs2 [transitive]EFFECT/INFLUENCE to influence the way someone’s character or attitudes developmould something/somebody into something I try to take young athletes and mold them into team players. an attempt to mold public opinion3 [intransitive, transitive]TIGHT to fit closely to the shape of something, or to make something fit closelymould (something) to something The lining of the boot molds itself to the shape of your foot. Her wet dress was moulded to her body.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpusmould• Her movements were quick and graceful, like those of a potter moulding clay.• In a way he has moulded himself on the likeness of Ben Hogan.• The West Riding of Yorkshire was certainly a great influence in moulding his mind and manner of the particular artist he became.• The outer skin would be moulded in clear perspex or similar with an inner skin behind it.• Most of them looked as if they had been moulded in empty cat food tins.• His face wore a manic expression into which it had been moulding itself, a little more permanently, with each passing day.• Canon law, on the other hand, was the clay with which the pope could mould society.• It took the influence and personality of one man, John Reith, to mould the organization in the early years.• Mould the sausage meat into little balls.• Sporting director Todt has moulded the team into a slick unit and Brawn provides the brains.