frill

1 of 2

verb

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 fustianJoseph Epstein
b
: something decorative or useful and desirable but not essential : luxury
frilly adjective

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
Today, that plant is one of thousands on the grounds, a place where monarch ferns frill around the auburn necks of melinonii philodendrons and buttercream and magenta orchids hang like pendants from a jabuticabeira, its spreading copper limbs blistered with purple fruit. Michael Snyder Pedro Kok, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024 The collection, which will surely be talked about as the best of the entire week, was an unflinching reminder that a serious depth of femininity — the frilled, bedazzled, artistic kind — should never be mistaken for weakness. Gabrielle Korn, refinery29.com, 13 Feb. 2020
Noun
One of the barn's two simple bedrooms, this one on the mezzanine Mikael Lundblad The kitchen, too, is functional and without frills. Rick Jordan, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 Oct. 2024 Those looks included a faux fur coat, long polka dot vest, a striped frill front shirt and more. Brenton Blanchet, People.com, 3 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for frill 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frill.' 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

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of frill was in 1574

Dictionary Entries Near frill

Cite this Entry

“Frill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frill. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

frill

noun
ˈfril
1
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

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