fringe

noun, often attributive

\ ˈfrinj

Definition of fringe

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an ornamental border consisting of short straight or twisted threads or strips hanging from cut or raveled edges or from a separate band a lampshade with a fringe

2a : something resembling a fringe : edge, periphery —often used in plural operated on the fringes of the lawworking for years on the fringes of the entertainment industry

b chiefly British : bang entry 4 wears her hair in a fringe

c : one of various light or dark bands produced by the interference or diffraction of light

d : an area bordering a putting green on a golf course with grass trimmed longer than on the green itself

3a : something that is marginal, additional, or secondary to some activity, process, or subject a fringe sport

b : a group with marginal or extremist views the politically conservative fringe

c : fringe benefit

fringe

verb

fringed; fringing\ ˈfrin-jiŋ

Definition of fringe (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to furnish or adorn with a fringe

2 : to serve as a fringe for : border

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Examples of fringe in a Sentence

Noun

a lampshade with a fringe a fringe of moss around the tree a party on the political fringe

Verb

A jungle fringed the shore. the orchestral pit fringed the edge of the stage

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

During the day, Trump tweeted out old weather maps that also showed Alabama may have been vulnerable to the the fringes of the storm. — John Fritze, USA TODAY, "White House aide says he briefed Trump about Alabama and Hurricane Dorian," 5 Sep. 2019 The milieu comes vividly alive, sketching in the interactions of hunters, traders, itinerants, settlers and the Native Americans that occupy the fringes, their differences marked in April Napier's period costumes. — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, "'First Cow': Film Review | Telluride 2019," 31 Aug. 2019 Manchester United defender Chris Smalling has completed a season-long move to Serie A club Roma after being pushed to the fringes at Old Trafford in the early stages of 2019/20. — SI.com, "Man Utd Defender Chris Smalling Completes Surprising Loan Move to Roma," 30 Aug. 2019 Soon, ideas like that which Trump has evidently suggested were cast to the fringes of scientific thinking; Reed’s idea would actually now be prohibited under international law by the Peaceful Nuclear Explosions Treaty. — Garrett M. Graff, WIRED, "America's Decades-Old Obsession With Nuking Hurricanes (and More)," 26 Aug. 2019 If there were any justice in politics, Delaney would be rising in the polls and Sanders and Warren would be relegated to the fringe. — Stephen Stromberg, Twin Cities, "Stephen Stromberg: Sanders and Warren got crushed on health care, finally," 4 Aug. 2019 Each new walk-in experience brings us closer to a world where fan fiction is no longer relegated to the most passionate fringes but increasingly surrounds and may someday lead us. — Todd Martens, chicagotribune.com, "Immersive TV and movie ‘activations’ are reshaping fandom, but is audience participation going too far?," 29 July 2019 Each new walk-in experience brings us closer to a world where fan fiction is no longer relegated to the most passionate fringes but increasingly surrounds and may someday lead us. — Los Angeles Times, "The Player: Living inside the game of Comic-Con and what ‘activations’ mean for fandom," 25 July 2019 Meanwhile, unfiltered social media has pushed these anti-Semitic tropes, long confined to the fringes, into the mainstream of public debate. — Yaroslav Trofimov, WSJ, "The New Anti-Semitism," 12 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Another model wore a long dress fringed with red and green acrylic yarn—the same kind of yarn that bewigged the dinosaur skulls in Ruby’s L.A. show—accessorized with a bib in back that looked like a hunk of quilt. — Christina Binkley, The New Yorker, "Sterling Ruby’s Mixed Media," 2 Sep. 2019 Gwen looked stunning in a cutout top and fringed denim shorts. — Kelly O'sullivan, Country Living, "Gwen Stefani Wore the Wildest Outfit on a Rare 'Date Night' With Blake Shelton," 17 Aug. 2019 The short trees had trunks fringed with leaves and four short drooping branches at the top with bottle-shaped structures on their tips that spread spores. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Fossil Trees Reveal the Oldest Known Forest in Asia," 9 Aug. 2019 The area of Mitchells Plain where Myburgh lives is on the Cape Flats, an expanse fringing the city where black and mixed-race people were forcibly moved from central parts of the city during apartheid. — Kimon De Greef, BostonGlobe.com, "As gang murders surge, South Africa sends army to Cape Town, and the city cheers," 13 Aug. 2019 The conspiracies spanned a wide range of topics from Epstein’s connections to the Clinton family and President Donald Trump to fringe theories including QAnon. — NBC News, "After Epstein's suicide, conspiracy theories flourish online," 10 Aug. 2019 In a display of costume-style designs, animal totems were the order of the day. Oversized fur headpieces, deer antlers and bear head sculptures merged with giant synthetic lacing and yeti-style fringed footwear with architectural metal heels. — Washington Post, "Chanel’s new designer, Viard, unveils couture debut in Paris," 2 July 2019 All around her, fringing every icon, tied by silk ribbons, were modern votive offerings: tin or stamped metal tokens of arms and legs and ears and mouths, appealing for healing for a diseased or damaged human part. — Adam Gopnik, Town & Country, "My First Visit to the Greek Islands Turned Out to Be a Journey Home," 20 May 2019 The distant destination is the closest one can get to the surreally stunning UNESCO World Heritage–listed fringing reef, with hundreds of fish and coral species, rays and turtles. — Kathryn Romeyn, The Hollywood Reporter, "Hollywood's Travel Guide to Western Australia," 16 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fringe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near fringe

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Last Updated

13 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for fringe

The first known use of fringe was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for fringe

fringe

noun

English Language Learners Definition of fringe

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a border made of hanging threads used to decorate the edge of something (such as clothing, rugs, and curtains)

: a narrow area along the edge of something

: an area of activity that is related to but not part of whatever is central or most widely accepted : a group of people with extreme views or unpopular opinions

fringe

verb

English Language Learners Definition of fringe (Entry 2 of 2)

: to decorate (something) with a fringe

: to go along or around (something)

See the full definition for fringe in the English Language Learners Dictionary

fringe

noun

\ ˈfrinj