Illustration of fret
- fret 2
fretted; fretting
1
2
: to cause to suffer emotional strain : vex
don't you fret yourself about me—
J. C. Powys
J. C. Powys3
: to pass (time) in fretting
a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage—William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare1
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
Graham Greene2
b
: chafe
His back where the harness rubbed began to fret.
c
3
a
: to become vexed or worried
fretting over the high cost of feeding their families—Vance Packard
Vance Packard
b
of running water
: to become agitated
a brook fretting over rocks
1
a
: the action of wearing away : erosion
b
: a worn or eroded spot
2
: an agitation of mind : irritation
fretted; fretting
1
a
: to decorate with interlaced designs
b
: to form a pattern upon
2
: to enrich with embossed or pierced carved patterns
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
: one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument (such as a guitar)
fretless
adjective
fretted
adjective
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
Examples of fret in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebAlison Herman, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
But instead of celebrating the success and dreaming about multiple College Football Playoff berths, fans in Corvallis have to fret about the future of their program.
—Jfreeman, oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2023
Blanket-bearing Linus waits up for the mythical Great Pumpkin while Charlie Brown frets about going to a Halloween party.
—Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023
In recent weeks, his mother, 22, has vacillated between elation and worry, especially fretting over her son’s ability to keep pace with his classmates.
—Bobby Caina, Robert Bumsted and Elliot Spagat, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023
Investors are fretting over the ability of the world’s most valuable public company to do business in the world’s second-largest economy.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
Lawsuits are piling up in court over liability for the inferno, and businesses across the island are fretting about the loss of tourism.
—Gene Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Obama officials fretted about severing America’s close military ties with a key Arab counterterrorism partner.
—Michael Crowley, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023
This has always been Washington’s showcase, not just in terms of an AARP-age action hero vehicle but as a stage for him to strut without the least bit of fretting.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023
Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Aug. 2023
These networks are arranged in distinct computational compartments, like the spaces between the frets on the guitar.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 26 July 2023
Pushing for Change Many Indians overseas fret about bloodshed in India, where religious minorities make up 20 percent of the population, and where Hindu mobs are regularly accused of lynching people, mostly Muslims, for their food, style of dress, or interfaith marriages.
—Damien Cave, New York Times, 18 July 2023
The story gets set in motion because military brass fret about human operators exhibiting reluctance to launch nuclear strikes, despite what appear to be valid orders.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 10 July 2023
Nor are Arab capitals the only ones that could weigh in; neighboring Ethiopia and Eritrea fret about instability along their borders and may intervene more directly if Egypt does so.
—Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 26 May 2023
Beyond black-and-navy, some folks refuse to let brown duet with black, or fret if the shades of their shoes and belt differ a jot.
—Jamie Waters, wsj.com, 28 Apr. 2023
And if the series finale of Succession leaves a gaping Waystar Royco-sized hole in your soul—and watchlist—fret not.
—Leena Kim, Town & Country, 25 May 2023
But fret not: In 2023, bugs are few and far between.
—Billy Studholme, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2023
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Verb
Snow, Jones and Greenberg spend the season fretting over how to boost attendance and revenue to make OVW a sustainable enterprise.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 13 Sep. 2023
But instead of celebrating the success and dreaming about multiple College Football Playoff berths, fans in Corvallis have to fret about the future of their program.
—Jfreeman, oregonlive, 9 Sep. 2023
Blanket-bearing Linus waits up for the mythical Great Pumpkin while Charlie Brown frets about going to a Halloween party.
—Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 28 Aug. 2023
In recent weeks, his mother, 22, has vacillated between elation and worry, especially fretting over her son’s ability to keep pace with his classmates.
—Bobby Caina, Robert Bumsted and Elliot Spagat, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Sep. 2023
Investors are fretting over the ability of the world’s most valuable public company to do business in the world’s second-largest economy.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 7 Sep. 2023
Lawsuits are piling up in court over liability for the inferno, and businesses across the island are fretting about the loss of tourism.
—Gene Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2023
Obama officials fretted about severing America’s close military ties with a key Arab counterterrorism partner.
—Michael Crowley, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2023
This has always been Washington’s showcase, not just in terms of an AARP-age action hero vehicle but as a stage for him to strut without the least bit of fretting.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Aug. 2023
Noun
But fret not, because there's an effective solution: supplements specifically designed to alleviate dog anxiety.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 5 Aug. 2023
These networks are arranged in distinct computational compartments, like the spaces between the frets on the guitar.
—Yasemin Saplakoglu, Quanta Magazine, 26 July 2023
Pushing for Change Many Indians overseas fret about bloodshed in India, where religious minorities make up 20 percent of the population, and where Hindu mobs are regularly accused of lynching people, mostly Muslims, for their food, style of dress, or interfaith marriages.
—Damien Cave, New York Times, 18 July 2023
The story gets set in motion because military brass fret about human operators exhibiting reluctance to launch nuclear strikes, despite what appear to be valid orders.
—Brian Lowry, CNN, 10 July 2023
Nor are Arab capitals the only ones that could weigh in; neighboring Ethiopia and Eritrea fret about instability along their borders and may intervene more directly if Egypt does so.
—Comfort Ero, Foreign Affairs, 26 May 2023
Beyond black-and-navy, some folks refuse to let brown duet with black, or fret if the shades of their shoes and belt differ a jot.
—Jamie Waters, wsj.com, 28 Apr. 2023
And if the series finale of Succession leaves a gaping Waystar Royco-sized hole in your soul—and watchlist—fret not.
—Leena Kim, Town & Country, 25 May 2023
But fret not: In 2023, bugs are few and far between.
—Billy Studholme, Washington Post, 31 Jan. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fret.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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
Time Traveler
The first known use of fret was
in the 12th century
Podcast
Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP
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Dictionary Entries Near fret
Cite this Entry
“Fret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fret. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
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Kids Definition
fret
1 of 4 verb
fretted; fretting
1
: to make or become worried
fret over a problem
2
: to eat into or wear away
adobe fretted clean by wind and sand
fret
2 of 4 noun
: an irritated or worried state
in a fret
fret
3 of 4 noun
: an ornamental design of short lines or bars
fret
4 of 4 noun
: one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument
fretless
adjective
ˈfret-ləs
fretted
adjective
ˈfret-əd
Etymology
Verb
Old English fretan "to devour"
Noun
Middle English fret, fretted "interwoven," from early French fretté, past participle of fretter "to tie"
Noun
perhaps from early French frete "connecting sleeve"
More from Merriam-Webster on fret
Nglish: Translation of fret for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of fret for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about fret
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