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- Dictionaryfret/fret/
verb
- 1. be constantly or visibly worried or anxious: "she fretted about the cost of groceries" Similar
- 2. gradually wear away (something) by rubbing or gnawing: "the bay's black waves fret the seafront"
noun
- 1. a state of anxiety or worry: British "why would anyone get themselves in a fret over something so simple?"
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1. a. : to eat or gnaw into : corrode. also : fray. The acid fretted the metal. b. : rub, chafe. The harness strap was fretting the horse. c. : to make by wearing away a substance. the stream fretted a channel. 2. : to cause to suffer emotional strain : vex. don't you fret yourself about me J. C. Powys. 3. : to pass (time) in fretting.
fret. noun [ C ] uk/fret/us/fret/ fretnoun[C] (ON A STRINGED INSTRUMENT) any of the small raised metal bars across the long, thin part of a stringed musical instrument such as a guitar, that show you where to put your fingers on the strings in order to produce different notes. ajma_pl/iStock / Getty Images Plus/GettyImages. Related word. fretted.
Fret comes from the Old English word freton which means to devour like an animal. When you fret over something, it consumes your thoughts. If you tell your mother to not fret about you while you're at a sleepover camp, you're telling her to not worry about you too much.
Fret definition: to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like. See examples of FRET used in a sentence.
1. verb. If you fret about something, you worry about it. I was working all hours and constantly fretting about everyone else's problems. [V + about/over] But congressional staffers fret that the project will eventually cost billions more. [VERB that] Don't fret, Mary. This is all some crazy mistake. [VERB]
fret. verb [ I ] us / fret / uk / fret / -tt- Add to word list. to be nervous or worried: Don't fret - I'm sure he's OK. fret about She spent the day fretting about what she'd said to Nicky. fret over As a new mother, I fretted over any delay in my daughter's development. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Anxious and worried.
1. To cause to be uneasy; vex: "fret thy soul with crosses and with cares" (Edmund Spenser). 2. a. To gnaw or wear away; erode. b. To produce a hole or worn spot in; corrode. 3. To form (a passage or channel) by erosion. 4. To disturb the surface of (water or a stream); agitate. n. 1. The act or an instance of fretting. 2.
Fret definition: to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like. See examples of FRET used in a sentence.
verb. /fret/ [intransitive, transitive] Verb Forms. to be worried or unhappy and not able to relax. Her baby starts to fret as soon as she goes out of the room. Fretting, he looked again at his watch. fret about something Fretting about it won't help. fret over something He was fretting over his speech. fret that…
to be anxious or worried: There's no point in fretting about what you cannot change. fretful. adjective. anxious and unhappy. (Definition of fret from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Translations of fret. in Chinese (Traditional) 煩躁不安, 苦惱，發愁, （吉他等絃樂器指板上定音的）品… See more. in Chinese (Simplified)
