fray

¹ American  

[frey] / freɪ /

noun

1. a fight, battle, or skirmish.

   Synonyms:

   war, strife, encounter, clash, contest, conflict, combat

2. a competition or contest, especially in sports.

   Synonyms:

   tourney, meet, match, tournament

3. a noisy quarrel or brawl.

   Synonyms:

   fracas, riot, squabble, spat, set-to, tiff, dispute, fight, altercation, melee, tussle

4. Archaic. fright.

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to frighten.

verb (used without object)

1. Archaic. to fight or brawl.

fray ² American  

[frey] / freɪ /

verb (used with object)

1. to wear (cloth, rope, etc.) to loose, raveled threads or fibers at the edge or end; cause to ravel out.

   Our old washing machine frayed all of our towels.

   Synonyms:

   wear out, tatter, ravel

2. to wear by rubbing (sometimes followed bythrough ).

3. to cause strain on (something); upset; discompose.

   All that arguing is fraying my nerves.

   Synonyms:

   chafe, stress, irritate

4. to rub.

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verb (used without object)

1. to wear into loose, raveled threads or fibers, as cloth; ravel out.

   My sweater frayed at the elbows.

2. to become strained or stressed.

   Jealousy could be a sign that your relationship is fraying.

3. to rub against something.

   tall grass fraying against my knees.

noun

1. a raveled or worn part, as in cloth.

   frays at the toes of well-worn sneakers.

fray ¹ British  

/ freɪ /

noun

1. a noisy quarrel

2. a fight or brawl

3. an archaic word for fright

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verb

1. (tr) to frighten

fray ² British  

/ freɪ /

verb

1. to wear or cause to wear away into tatters or loose threads, esp at an edge or end

2. to make or become strained or irritated

3. to rub or chafe (another object) or (of two objects) to rub against one another

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noun

1. a frayed place, as in cloth

fray Idioms  

1. see enter the lists (fray).

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Other Word Forms

• frayed adjective

Etymology

Origin of fray¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English frai; shortening of affray

Origin of fray²

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English fraien, from Old French frayer, freiier “to rub,” from Latin fricāre; friction

Example Sentences

In December, Nike said it had underinvested in stores in China, and had thrown itself too heavily into the discounting fray there, rather than trying to position itself as a hub for premium products.

From MarketWatch

She’s wearing a frayed concert shirt and skintight blue jeans.

From Literature

Since then, I’ve been sitting on this couch, rubbing the frayed armrest, every second Thursday for three months now.

From Literature

And if he does disappear from the fray, how can he continue to chair the US tour's future competitions committee?

From BBC

“The U.S. enters the fray from a position of economic strength,” they wrote.

From Barron's

Related Words

• erode
• frazzle
• unravel
• wear away