Illustration of fret
- fret 2
fretted; fretting
1
2
: to cause to suffer emotional strain : vex
don't you fret yourself about me—
J. C. Powys
J. C. Powys3
: to pass (time) in fretting
a poor player who struts and frets his hour upon the stage—William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare1
a
: to eat into something
b
: to affect something as if by gnawing or biting : grate
the … urgent voice fretted at his nerves—Graham Greene
Graham Greene2
b
: chafe
His back where the harness rubbed began to fret.
c
3
a
: to become vexed or worried
fretting over the high cost of feeding their families—Vance Packard
Vance Packard
b
of running water
: to become agitated
a brook fretting over rocks
1
a
: the action of wearing away : erosion
b
: a worn or eroded spot
2
: an agitation of mind : irritation
fretted; fretting
1
a
: to decorate with interlaced designs
b
: to form a pattern upon
2
: to enrich with embossed or pierced carved patterns
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
: one of a series of ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a stringed musical instrument (such as a guitar)
fretless
adjective
fretted
adjective
Did you know?
Fret and Eating
The meat-and-potatoes meaning of fret is "to eat." The verb is used literally, as in "Moths fretted the clothing," but more often figuratively to describe actions that corrode or wear away. A river "frets away" at its banks, or something might be said to be "fretted out" with time or age. Fret also applies to emotional experiences so that something that "eats away at someone" is "fretting the heart or mind."
Synonyms
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 WebJeanna Smialek, New York Times, 29 May 2024
Like the doe-eyed poets of 100 years ago or the fretting journalists of 65 years ago, today the ascendant left rarely champions liberty, instead favoring the new idols of fairness, inclusion and social justice.
—Bryan C. Donohue, Baltimore Sun, 17 Apr. 2024
Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 31 May 2024
The sound of the dulcimer has resonated with me for most of my life, the frets of its fretboard like notches in my own timeline.
—Ayla Samli, Longreads, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for fret 
Verb
Economic confidence remains depressed and consumers continue to fret about high price levels, dogging the Biden administration, even though inflation has been cooling and the job market is strong.
—Jeanna Smialek, New York Times, 29 May 2024
Like the doe-eyed poets of 100 years ago or the fretting journalists of 65 years ago, today the ascendant left rarely champions liberty, instead favoring the new idols of fairness, inclusion and social justice.
—Bryan C. Donohue, Baltimore Sun, 17 Apr. 2024
Noun
But 60% fret that the technology could add to their stress and burnout, and roughly the same number feel insecure about their job.
—Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 31 May 2024
The sound of the dulcimer has resonated with me for most of my life, the frets of its fretboard like notches in my own timeline.
—Ayla Samli, Longreads, 14 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for fret
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fret.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fret
Cite this Entry
“Fret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fret. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
adjective
ˈfret-ləs
fretted
adjective
ˈfret-əd
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"
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