frill

1 of 2

verb

ˈfril 

frilled; frilling; frills

transitive verb

: to provide or decorate with a frill

frill

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: a gathered, pleated, or bias-cut fabric edging used on clothing

b

: a strip of paper curled at one end and rolled to be slipped over the bone end (as of a chop) in serving

2

: a ruff of hair or feathers or a bony or cartilaginous projection about the neck of an animal

3

a

: affectation, air

—usually used in plural

… intellectual frills and fustian.

—Joseph Epstein

b

: something decorative or useful and desirable but not essential : luxury

a new car with all the frills

For small businesses, a private plane is more than just a fat-cat frill.

—Kevin Peraino

frilly

ˈfri-lē 

adjective

Synonyms of frill

Noun

• edging
• flounce
• ruffle
• border
• skirting
• fringe

Examples of frill in a Sentence

Noun

The dress had frills around the hem and sleeves.

He likes plain food without any frills.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Xavier's head coaching job has never been more attractive and brings with it frills like updates facilities, a great on-campus gym, one of college basketball's power conferences and an enviable TV deal. — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, 27 Mar. 2018

Noun

Its small body and simplistic, no frills design help keep production costs low, allowing the automaker to produce such an affordable vehicle. — Charles Singh, USA Today, 24 June 2026

No frills are left to entice or distract passengers. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 12 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

perhaps from Dutch dialect (Brabant) frul ribbon bow, trifle

First Known Use

Verb

1574, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for frill

• bill
• brill
• chill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill
• krill

Kids Definition

frill

noun

ˈfril

1

: ruffle entry 2 sense 2a

2

: something added mostly for show

3

: a thick fringe of hair or feathers or projection of bone or cartilage about the neck of an animal