fray

1 a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective another generation of scientists entered the fray to find a cure for AIDS Synonyms battle, fight, struggle, scrabble, throesRelated Words effort, exertion, labor, pains, trouble, work; drudgery, grind, sweat, toil, travail; combat, conflict, contest, strife, tussle, war, warfare; attempt, endeavor, essay, try

2 a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups a troubled youth always getting into frays at school Synonyms battle, clash, combat, conflict, contest, dustup, fracas, fight, hassle, scrap, scrimmage, scrum, scuffle, skirmish, struggle, tussleRelated Words pitched battle, rough-and-tumble; affray [chiefly British], battle royal, brawl, broil, donnybrook, free-for-all, melee (also mêlée), mix-up, ruckus, ruction; blows, fistfight, fisticuffs, grapple, handgrips, punch-out, punch-up [chiefly British], slugfest; confrontation, duel, face-off, joust; altercation, argle-bargle [chiefly British], argument, argy-bargy [chiefly British], contretemps, controversy, cross fire, disagreement, dispute, falling-out, kickup, misunderstanding, quarrel, row, spat, squabble, tangle, tiff, wrangle; catfightNear Antonyms truce

3 a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people school officials broke up the fray and gave all guilty parties detention Synonyms affray [chiefly British], broil, donnybrook, fracas, brawl, free-for-all, melee (also mêlée), rough-and-tumble, row, ruckus, ructionRelated Words battle, clash, combat, conflict, contest, fisticuffs, handgrips, hassle, scrap, scrimmage, scuffle, skirmish, struggle, tussle; horseplay, roughhousing; altercation, argument, dispute, kickup, quarrel, spat, squabble, tiff, wrangle

to damage or diminish by continued friction constant rubbing against the rock face has badly frayed our climbing rope Synonyms chafe, corrade, erode, abrade, frazzle, fret, gall, rasp, rub, wearRelated Words file, gnaw, grate, graze, grind, nibble, sandblast, sandpaper, scour, scrape, scuff, shave; erase, reduce, rub out, wear out, wipe (away); bite, break down, break up, chew, corrode, decompose, disintegrate, dissolve, eat; hone, sharpen, whet