1
as in to erode
to consume or wear away gradually
over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to wear
to damage or diminish by continued friction
don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to worry
to experience concern or anxiety
don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in panic
a state of nervous or irritated concern
one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fret
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Fans of Colin from Accounts that have been waiting patiently for Season 3, fret not.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Don’t fret — there’s still some time to shop Amazon’s Labor Day sale.
—Isabel Garcia, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
And don’t fret about the pivot to a new scheme rooted in quarters coverage and an attacking, yet creative, four-man rush.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fret
Verb
Before turning on the water for the field, the foreman of Tibbitts’ farm fretted building a makeshift levee to keep the water from running too deep at the field’s lowest point.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2025
Fans of Colin from Accounts that have been waiting patiently for Season 3, fret not.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Don’t fret — there’s still some time to shop Amazon’s Labor Day sale.
—Isabel Garcia, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
And don’t fret about the pivot to a new scheme rooted in quarters coverage and an attacking, yet creative, four-man rush.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fret
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fret
Verb
-
Chinese policymakers have intensified efforts aimed at reining in excessive price cuts that have eroded corporate profits while doing little to spur demand.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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Higher prices risk eroding consumers’ purchasing power, and for those living paycheck to paycheck this can be quite painful.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Officials said that none of the passengers on the boat were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident, and alcohol is not believed to have been a factor in the crash.—
Charna Flam,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
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Rare was the big public event in which none of the bold names were telling red-carpet interlocutors that were wearing Armani.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Not knowing much about the condition, Mares-Sedillo worried that her face would be permanently altered.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The condition's most severe symptoms are sensitivities to spices, salt, and sweets, which means there's no reason to worry about a geographic tongue diagnosis.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Think flying in spring water to a Caribbean island because a female client thought the local water irritated her scalp.—
Louis J. Esterhazy,
Footwear News,
7 Sep. 2025
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However, Agnes is dressed exactly like Wednesday and her Single White Female act is irritating the hell out of her hero.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As an adult, financial matters, especially, threw him into a panic and eventually sent him to therapy.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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Even when things might look bleak, investors with cash on hand can afford to wait it out and not panic.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In late March, a 3-year-old Leavenworth boy known as EJ fell asleep for the night on a neighbor’s couch after eating grapes.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
7 Sep. 2025
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To support your prostate health, focus on eating healthy fats, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.—
Merve Ceylan,
Health,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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What was once envisioned as a vital partnership of the 21st century is fraying—and becoming another source of uncertainty in a world order that seems to be unraveling.—
Vaibhav Vats,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
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Ethiopia to inaugurate Africa’s largest dam, despite opposition Ethiopia will tomorrow inaugurate Africa’s largest dam, a major source of electricity and national pride for the country, but which threatens to fray ties with nations downstream.—
Alexander Onukwue,
semafor.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The cats kept them up each night with their incessant whining and scratching at their doors.—
Duaa Eldeib,
ProPublica,
10 Sep. 2025
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What itch does that scratch that the rest of this doesn’t?—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fret.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fret. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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