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fret

/fɹɛt/noun, verb1 syllable

Fret means: agitation resulting from active worry.

Synonyms for fret22

noun, as in agitation resulting from active worry

stew, sweat, lather, swither

noun, as in an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and horizontal lines (often in relief)

Greek fret, Greek key, key pattern

noun, as in a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion

worn spot

verb, as in cause friction

rub, fray, chafe, scratch

verb, as in gnaw into; make resentful or angry

eat into, rankle, grate

verb, as in worry unnecessarily or excessively

fuss, niggle

verb, as in become or make sore by or as if by rubbing

chafe, gall

verb, as in be too tight; rub or press

verb, as in remove soil or rock

erode, eat away

verb, as in wear away or erode

eat away

What does fret mean?16

noun

1

agitation resulting from active worry“don't get in a stew”

2

an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and horizontal lines (often in relief)“there was a simple fret at the top of the walls”

3

a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion

4

a small bar of metal across the fingerboard of a musical instrument; when the string is stopped by a finger at the metal bar it will produce a note of the desired pitch

verb

1

cause friction“my sweater scratches”

2

gnaw into; make resentful or angry“The injustice rankled her”

3

worry unnecessarily or excessively“don't fuss too much over the grandchildren — they are quite big now”

4

become or make sore by or as if by rubbing

5

be too tight; rub or press“This neckband is choking the cat”

6

remove soil or rock“Rain eroded the terraces”

7

wear away or erode

8

be agitated or irritated“don't fret over these small details”

9

provide (a musical instrument) with frets“fret a guitar”

10

cause annoyance in

11

carve a pattern into

12

decorate with an interlaced design

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with fret?34

Show 40 near rhymes

All 34 rhymes for fret, grouped by syllable

Fret in a sentence

  • Jigsaw refers to a fret saw - that's how the name's origin was derived.unknown
  • Why actually do people fret about bad weather?unknown
  • Don’t fret about it. Nobody can do it perfectly from the start.User83551
  • Don't fret, honey; we'll fix it.mccarras
  • You need not fret over such trifles.Swift

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of fret

as a noun

plural
frets

as a verb

past tense
fretted
present participle
fretting
third-person singular
frets
past participle
fretted