fret

1 of 6

verb (1)

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 meJ. C. Powys
3
: to pass (time) in fretting
a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stageWilliam 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 nervesGraham Greene
2
a
: wear, corrode
Marble frets away due to the rain.
b
: chafe
His back where the harness rubbed began to fret.
3
a
: to become vexed or worried
fretting over the high cost of feeding their familiesVance 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

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

Fret not about being unfamiliar with the history of the verb fret; we’ve got something for you to chew on. While fretting today usually involves a concern that is figuratively eating at someone, fret has older senses that apply to literal eating. Fret comes from the Old English verb fretan, “to devour,” which shares an ancestor with another verb, etan, the ancestor of eat. In centuries past, animals—or monsters, in the case of Grendel—were said to fret, as were substances that corrode, or eat away, at other substances. But it wasn’t long before fret was also applied to emotional experiences, as when someone frets over an all-consuming thought or trouble. While fret still carries the meanings of “to corrode,” “to fray,” and “to chafe,” among others, one is most likely to encounter its more angsty sense of “to worry or be concerned.”

Examples of fret in a Sentence

Verb (1) over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it the stiff, starchy collar was fretting my neck, and I couldn't wait to change out of that costume Noun (1) one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
Overall, investors shouldn’t fret too much; the bank still forecasts solid returns for the index. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2024 If your budget doesn’t allow for the weeklong experience, fret not. Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Nov. 2024
Noun
And don‘t fret about unsightly machinery crowding you space. Taylore Glynn, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2024 Yamaha The guitar rocks a dreadnought shape with a lower cut for higher fret access, and features a Sitka spruce top with mahogany back and sides. Paul Ridden, New Atlas, 11 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fret 

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

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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 7 Dec. 2024.

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
ˈfret-ləs
adjective
fretted
ˈfret-əd
adjective
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

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