Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense frets, present participle fretting, past tense, past participle fretted
1. verb
If you fret about something, you worry about it.
I was working all hours and constantly fretting about everyone else's problems. [V + about/over]
But congressional staffers fret that the project will eventually cost billions more. [VERB that]
Don't fret, Mary. This is all some crazy mistake. [VERB]
Synonyms: worry, anguish, brood, agonize More Synonyms of fret
2. countable noun
The frets on a musical instrument such as a guitar are the raised lines across its neck.
More Synonyms of fret
fret in British English1
(frɛt)
verbWord forms: frets, fretting or fretted
1.
to distress or be distressed; worry
2.
to rub or wear away
3.
to irritate or be irritated; feel or give annoyance or vexation
4.
to eat away or be eaten away by chemical action; corrode
5. (intransitive)
(of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop; scab
6.
to agitate (water) or (of water) to be agitated
7. (transitive)
to make by wearing away; erode
noun
8.
a state of irritation or anxiety
9.
the result of fretting; corrosion
10.
a hole or channel caused by fretting
Word origin
Old English fretan to eat; related to Old High German frezzan, Gothic fraitan, Latin peredere
fret in British English2
(frɛt)
noun
1.
a repetitive geometrical figure, esp one used as an ornamental border
2.
such a pattern made in relief and with numerous small openings; fretwork
3. heraldry
a charge on a shield consisting of a mascle crossed by a saltire
verbWord forms: frets, fretting or fretted
4. (transitive)
to ornament with fret or fretwork
Derived forms
fretless (ˈfretless)
adjective
Word origin
C14: from Old French frete interlaced design used on a shield, probably of Germanic origin
fret in British English3
(frɛt)
noun
any of several small metal bars set across the fingerboard of a musical instrument of the lute, guitar, or viol family at various points along its length so as to produce the desired notes when the strings are stopped by the fingers
Derived forms
fretless (ˈfretless)
adjective
Word origin
C16: of unknown origin
fret in British English4
(frɛt)
noun
short for sea fret
fret in American English1
(frɛt)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfretted or ˈfretting
1.
to eat away; gnaw
2.
to wear away by gnawing, rubbing, corroding, etc.
3.
to make or form by wearing away
4.
to make rough; disturb
wind fretting the water
5.
to irritate; vex; annoy; worry
verb intransitive
6.
to gnaw (into, on, or upon)
7.
to become eaten, corroded, worn, frayed, etc.
8.
to become rough or disturbed
9.
to be irritated, annoyed, or querulous; worry
noun
10.
a wearing away
11.
a worn place
12.
irritation; worry
Derived forms
fretter (ˈfretter)
noun
Word origin
ME freten < OE fretan, to devour, akin to Ger fressen, Goth fra-itan < Gmc prefix *fra- (OE for-: see for-) + *itan, to eat (OE etan: see eat)
fret in American English2
(frɛt)
noun
1.
an ornamental net or network, esp. one formerly worn by women as a headdress
2.
an ornamental pattern of small, straight bars intersecting or joining one another, usually at right angles, to form a regular design, as for a border or in an architectural relief
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfretted or ˈfretting
3.
to ornament with a fret
Word origin
ME frette, prob. merging of OFr frete (Fr frette), interlaced work, with OE frætwa, ornament (> ? OFr frete)
fret in American English3
(frɛt)
noun
1.
any of several narrow, lateral ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a banjo, guitar, mandolin, etc. to regulate the fingering
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfretted or ˈfretting
2.
to furnish with frets
3.
to press the strings (of a banjo, etc.) against the frets
Derived forms
fretless (ˈfretless)
adjective
Word origin
OFr frette, a band, ferrule
Examples of 'fret' in a sentence
fret
You can solve problems while others just fret about them.
The Sun (2016)
Worried chaps really do have something to fret about.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
When she fretted about not doing well he would offer advice.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Something to be fretted over and regretted.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
While colleagues fret and worry about problems, you are already coming up with solutions.
The Sun (2016)
They've stopped fretting about lumps and bumps the way they once did.
The Sun (2016)
The British are fretting less about job security but are more wary about spending.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
And don't fret about any lasting scars.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
We fret about the reaction of the public if we lose.
Christianity Today (2000)
It means people fret away an average of two years and four months of their adulthood.
The Sun (2010)
And they fret that no one seems to know what to do about it.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
He was fretting over the cost of a dry cleaning bill.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Anxious bond and currency traders began to fret that something was wrong.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Your mood is businesslike so you could find smart solutions while others still fret about the problems.
The Sun (2010)
Love gets stronger when you stop fretting about the future of a relationship.
The Sun (2010)
Many parents fret about the effect all this is having on the smallest of schoolchildren.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She also fretted about the effect on her own property.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Europe has good reason to fret about all this.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Do pushy parents need to fret?
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The stock lost five per cent on news of his departure as investors fretted that the firm will struggle without its founder.
The Sun (2015)
Investors are fretting over the possibility of a government default by any one of half a dozen European countries.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Focus on the strength of your relationship and only fret if something is clearly wrong now - in the present.
The Sun (2013)
Do not worry or fret.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
No one is fretting about Brazil winning with style any more, just winning.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Word lists with
fret
heraldry
In other languages
fret
British English: fret /frɛt/ VERB
If you fret about something, you worry about it.
She is fretting about her sick children.
American English: fret
Arabic: يُقْلِقُ
Brazilian Portuguese: inquietar-se
Chinese: 烦恼
Croatian: brinuti se
Czech: trápit se
Danish: bekymre(sig)
Dutch: piekeren
European Spanish: inquietarse
Finnish: murehtia
French: s’agiter
German: aufregen (sich)
Greek: ανησυχώ
Italian: preoccuparsi
Japanese: 気をもむ
Korean: 안달나다
Norwegian: bekymre seg
Polish: zaniepokoić
European Portuguese: atormentar
Romanian: a se îngrijora
Russian: беспокоить(ся)
Latin American Spanish: inquietarse
Swedish: reta upp (sig)
Thai: กลัดกลุ้ม
Turkish: endişe etmek
Ukrainian: хвилюватися
Vietnamese: lo lắng
Chinese translation of 'fret'
fret
(frɛt)
vi
(= worry) 担(擔)心 (dānxīn)
1 (verb)
Definition
to worry
I was constantly fretting about others' problems.
Synonyms
worry
I worry about my daughter constantly.
anguish
brood
He constantly broods about his family.
agonize
I was agonizing over the moral issues involved.
obsess
lose sleep
upset yourself
distress yourself
2 (verb)
Definition
to feel or give annoyance
The quickening of time frets me.
Synonyms
annoy
Try making a note of the things that annoy you.
trouble
Is anything troubling you?
bother
That kind of jealousy doesn't bother me.
disturb
He had been disturbed by the news of the attack.
distress
I did not want to frighten or distress her.
provoke
I didn't want to do anything to provoke him.
irritate
Their attitude irritates me.
grieve
torment
My older brother used to torment me by singing it to me.
harass
a celebrity routinely harassed by the paparazzi
nag
the anxiety that had nagged her all through lunch
gall
It was their smugness that galled her most.
agitate
The thought of them inheriting all these things agitated her.
ruffle
My refusal to let him ruffle me infuriated him.
nettle
I instantly regretted my remark, because it obviously nettled him.
vex
Everything about that man vexes me.
goad
Charles was forever trying to goad her into losing her temper.
chagrin
He was chagrined at missing such an easy goal.
irk
The rehearsal process irked him increasingly.
rile
Cancellations rarely riled him.
pique
She was piqued by his lack of enthusiasm.
peeve (informal)
rankle with
3 (verb)
Definition
to rub or wear away
Synonyms
rub
Smear cream on to prevent it from rubbing.
wear
erode
His fumbling of the issue of reform has eroded his authority.
fray
The stitching had begun to fray at the edges.
gall
chafe
The shorts were chafing my thighs.
wear away
abrade
The rough rock had abraded her skin.
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abrade
The rough rock had abraded her skin.
Synonyms
scrape,
grind,
skin,
file,
scratch,
erode,
graze,
erase,
scour,
wear off,
rub off,
wear down,
scuff,
wear away,
scrape away,
scrape out
in the sense of agitate
Definition
to excite, disturb, or trouble
The thought of them inheriting all these things agitated her.
Synonyms
upset,
worry,
trouble,
disturb,
excite,
alarm,
stimulate,
distract,
rouse,
ruffle,
inflame,
incite,
unnerve,
disconcert,
disquiet,
fluster,
perturb,
faze,
work someone up,
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
arouse,
ferment
in the sense of agonize
Definition
to worry greatly
I was agonizing over the moral issues involved.
Synonyms
suffer,
labour,
worry,
struggle,
strain,
strive,
writhe,
be distressed,
be in agony,
go through the mill,
be in anguish
Synonyms of 'fret'
fret
Explore 'fret' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of torment
Definition
to tease or pester (a person or animal) in an annoying or cruel way
My older brother used to torment me by singing it to me.
Synonyms
tease,
annoy,
worry,
trouble,
bother,
provoke,
devil (informal),
harry,
plague,
irritate,
hound,
harass,
hassle (informal),
aggravate (informal),
persecute,
pester,
vex,
bedevil,
chivvy (British),
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
lead someone a merry dance (British, informal)
in the sense of trouble
Definition
to cause trouble to
Is anything troubling you?
Synonyms
bother,
worry,
upset,
disturb,
distress,
annoy,
plague,
grieve,
torment,
harass,
hassle (informal),
afflict,
pain,
fret,
agitate,
sadden,
perplex,
disconcert,
disquiet,
pester,
vex,
perturb,
faze,
give someone grief (British, South Africa),
discompose,
put or get someone's back up,
hack you off (informal)
in the sense of vex
Definition
to cause (someone) to feel annoyance or irritation