fret

1 of 6

verb (1)

ˈfret

fretted; fretting

transitive verb

: to eat or gnaw into : corrode

also : fray

The acid fretted the metal.

: rub, chafe

The harness strap was fretting the horse.

: to make by wearing away a substance

the stream fretted a channel

: to cause to suffer emotional strain : vex

don't you fret yourself about me

J. C. Powys

: to pass (time) in fretting

a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage

William Shakespeare

: agitate, ripple

fret the surface of the lake

intransitive verb

: to eat into something

: to affect something as if by gnawing or biting : grate

the … urgent voice fretted at his nerves

Graham Greene

: wear, corrode

Marble frets away due to the rain.

: chafe

His back where the harness rubbed began to fret.

: fray sense 1

: to become vexed or worried

fretting over the high cost of feeding their families

Vance Packard

of running water : to become agitated

a brook fretting over rocks

fret

2 of 6

noun (1)

: the action of wearing away : erosion

: a worn or eroded spot

: an agitation of mind : irritation

fret

3 of 6

verb (2)

fretted; fretting

transitive verb

: to decorate with interlaced designs

: to form a pattern upon

: to enrich with embossed or pierced carved patterns

fret

4 of 6

noun (2)

: an ornamental network

especially : a medieval metallic or jeweled net for a woman's headdress

: an ornament or ornamental work often in relief consisting of small straight bars intersecting one another in right or oblique angles

fret

5 of 6

noun (3)

: one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument (such as a guitar)

fretless adjective

fretted adjective

fret

6 of 6

verb (3)

fretted; fretting

transitive verb

: to press (the strings of a stringed instrument) against the frets

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1) and Noun (1)

Middle English, to devour, fret, from Old English fretan to devour; akin to Old High German frezzan to devour, ezzan to eat — more at eat

Verb (2)

Middle English, back-formation from fret, fretted adorned, interwoven, from Anglo-French fretté, past participle of fretter to tie, probably from Vulgar Latin *firmitare, from Latin firmus firm

Noun (3)

perhaps from Middle French frete ferrule, from freter

First Known Use

Verb (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (3)

circa 1500, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

1602, in the meaning defined above

fret 1 of 2

verb

as in to gnaw

to consume or wear away gradually over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

gnaw
eat
erode
corrode
nibble
ruin
waste
bite (at)
destroy
wreck
disintegrate
decompose
decimate
dissolve
devastate
break down
break up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

renew
recreate
refresh
restore
revive
rejuvenate
regenerate
refreshen
freshen
revitalize

as in to wear

to damage or diminish by continued friction don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him

Synonyms & Similar Words

wear
fray
erode
rub
chafe
abrade
frazzle
reduce
gall
rasp
bite
gnaw
scrape
corrade
erase
sharpen
shave
eat
file
scuff
scour
nibble
graze
sandpaper
chew
corrode
sandblast
grate
grind
rub out
wear out
whet
disintegrate
decompose
hone
dissolve
wipe (away)
break down
break up

as in to worry

to experience concern or anxiety don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it

Synonyms & Similar Words

worry
fear
stress
trouble
bother
fuss
stew
sweat
care a hang
agonize
sweat blood
long
give a hang
pine
yearn
despair
chafe

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

accept
endure
tolerate
take
abide
bear
sustain
stomach
stick out

as in to irritate

to make sore by continued rubbing the stiff, starchy collar was fretting my neck, and I couldn't wait to change out of that costume

Synonyms & Similar Words

irritate
scratch
chafe
excoriate
scrape
abrade
gall
graze
burn
skin
peel
inflame
flay
enflame

fret

2 of 2

noun

as in panic

a state of nervous or irritated concern one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper

Synonyms & Similar Words

panic
fuss
huff
sweat
dither
tizzy
pother
fluster
swelter
swivet
lather
bother
twitter
stew
ado
dudgeon
hand-wringing
pique
hysteria
alarm
agitation
alarum
nervous breakdown
delirium
furor
distraction
uproar

单词	fret
释义	fret 1 of 6 verb (1) ˈfret fretted; fretting transitive verb 1 a : to eat or gnaw into : corrode also : fray The acid fretted the metal. b : rub, chafe The harness strap was fretting the horse. c : to make by wearing away a substance the stream fretted a channel 2 : to cause to suffer emotional strain : vex don't you fret yourself about me J. C. Powys 3 : to pass (time) in fretting a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage William Shakespeare 4 : agitate, ripple fret the surface of the lake intransitive verb 1 a : to eat into something b : to affect something as if by gnawing or biting : grate the … urgent voice fretted at his nerves Graham Greene 2 a : wear, corrode Marble frets away due to the rain. b : chafe His back where the harness rubbed began to fret. c : fray sense 1 3 a : to become vexed or worried fretting over the high cost of feeding their families Vance Packard b of running water : to become agitated a brook fretting over rocks fret 2 of 6 noun (1) 1 a : the action of wearing away : erosion b : a worn or eroded spot 2 : an agitation of mind : irritation fret 3 of 6 verb (2) fretted; fretting transitive verb 1 a : to decorate with interlaced designs b : to form a pattern upon 2 : to enrich with embossed or pierced carved patterns fret 4 of 6 noun (2) 1 : an ornamental network especially : a medieval metallic or jeweled net for a woman's headdress 2 : an ornament or ornamental work often in relief consisting of small straight bars intersecting one another in right or oblique angles Illustration of fret fret 2 fret 5 of 6 noun (3) : one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument (such as a guitar) fretless adjective fretted adjective fret 6 of 6 verb (3) fretted; fretting transitive verb : to press (the strings of a stringed instrument) against the frets Did you know? Fret and Eating The meat-and-potatoes meaning of fret is "to eat." The verb is used literally, as in "Moths fretted the clothing," but more often figuratively to describe actions that corrode or wear away. A river "frets away" at its banks, or something might be said to be "fretted out" with time or age. Fret also applies to emotional experiences so that something that "eats away at someone" is "fretting the heart or mind." Synonyms Verb (1) bite (at) corrode eat erode gnaw nibble Noun (1) dither fluster fuss huff lather pother stew sweat swelter swivet tizzy twitter See all Synonyms & Antonyms Word History Etymology Verb (1) and Noun (1) Middle English, to devour, fret, from Old English fretan to devour; akin to Old High German frezzan to devour, ezzan to eat — more at eat Verb (2) Middle English, back-formation from fret, fretted adorned, interwoven, from Anglo-French fretté, past participle of fretter to tie, probably from Vulgar Latin firmitare, from Latin firmus* firm Noun (3) perhaps from Middle French frete ferrule, from freter First Known Use Verb (1) 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a Noun (1) 15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Verb (2) 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a Noun (2) 14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1 Noun (3) circa 1500, in the meaning defined above Verb (3) 1602, in the meaning defined above Kids Definition fret 1 of 2 verb ˈfret fretted; fretting : worry entry 1 sense 1 … it was a thing which could not be helped, so I seldom fretted about it … Mark Twain, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court fret 2 of 2 noun : an irritated or worried state fret 1 of 2 verb 1 as in to gnaw to consume or wear away gradually over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel Synonyms & Similar Words Relevance gnaw eat erode corrode nibble ruin waste bite (at) destroy wreck disintegrate decompose decimate dissolve devastate break down break up Antonyms & Near Antonyms renew recreate refresh restore revive rejuvenate regenerate refreshen freshen revitalize See More 2 as in to wear to damage or diminish by continued friction don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him Synonyms & Similar Words wear fray erode rub chafe abrade frazzle reduce gall rasp bite gnaw scrape corrade erase sharpen shave eat file scuff scour nibble graze sandpaper chew corrode sandblast grate grind rub out wear out whet disintegrate decompose hone dissolve wipe (away) break down break up 3 as in to worry to experience concern or anxiety don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it Synonyms & Similar Words worry fear stress trouble bother fuss stew sweat care a hang agonize sweat blood long give a hang pine yearn despair chafe Antonyms & Near Antonyms accept endure tolerate take abide bear sustain stomach stick out See More 4 as in to irritate to make sore by continued rubbing the stiff, starchy collar was fretting my neck, and I couldn't wait to change out of that costume Synonyms & Similar Words irritate scratch chafe excoriate scrape abrade gall graze burn skin peel inflame flay enflame fret 2 of 2 noun as in panic a state of nervous or irritated concern one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper Synonyms & Similar Words panic fuss huff sweat dither tizzy pother fluster swelter swivet lather bother twitter stew ado dudgeon hand-wringing pique hysteria alarm agitation alarum nervous breakdown delirium furor distraction uproar
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fret

verb (1)

noun (1)

verb (2)

noun (2)

Illustration of fret

noun (3)

verb (3)

Did you know?

Synonyms

Word History

Kids Definition

verb

noun

verb

noun