I. mould 1 BrE AmE British English , mold American English /məʊld $ moʊld/ noun
1 . SHAPED CONTAINER [countable] 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 jell-o in a mould
2 . TYPE OF PERSON [singular] 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 person
fit (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 Crossland
3 . break the mould to change a situation completely, by doing something that has not been done before:
an attempt to break the mould of British politics
4 . GROWING SUBSTANCE [uncountable] 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 mould
• • •
COLLOCATIONS (for Meanings 2 & 3)
■ verbs
▪ break 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.
■ adjectives
▪ the traditional/classic mould (=the usual way)
He was not a conservative in the traditional mould.
II. mould 2 BrE AmE British English , mold American English verb
1 . [transitive] to shape a soft substance by pressing or rolling it or by putting it into a mould
mould something into something
Mould the sausage meat into little balls.
moulded plastic chairs
2 . [transitive] to influence the way someone’s character or attitudes develop
mould something/somebody into something
I try to take young athletes and mold them into team players.
an attempt to mold public opinion
3 . [intransitive and transitive] to fit closely to the shape of something, or to make something fit closely
mould (something) to something
The lining of the boot molds itself to the shape of your foot.
Her wet dress was moulded to her body.