Definition of Fret in English :

Define Fret in English

Fret meaning in English

Meaning of Fret in English

Pronunciation of Fret in English

Fret pronunciation in English

Pronounce Fret in English

Fret

see synonyms of fret

Noun

1. fret, lather, stew, sweat, swither

agitation resulting from active worry

Example Sentences:
'don't get in a stew'
'he's in a sweat about exams'

2. fret, worn spot

a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion

3. fret, greek fret, greek key, key pattern

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

Example Sentences:
'there was a simple fret at the top of the walls'

4. fret

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

5. fret, fuss, niggle

worry unnecessarily or excessively

Example Sentences:
'don't fuss too much over the grandchildren--they are quite big now'

6. fret

be agitated or irritated

Example Sentences:
'don't fret over these small details'

7. fret

provide (a musical instrument) with frets

Example Sentences:
'fret a guitar'

8. chafe, fret, gall

become or make sore by or as if by rubbing

9. fret

cause annoyance in

10. eat into, fret, grate, rankle

gnaw into; make resentful or angry

Example Sentences:
'The injustice rankled her'
'his resentment festered'

11. fret

carve a pattern into

12. fret

decorate with an interlaced design

13. choke, fret, gag

be too tight; rub or press

Example Sentences:
'This neckband is choking the cat'

14. chafe, fray, fret, rub, scratch

cause friction

Example Sentences:
'my sweater scratches'

15. eat away, erode, fret

remove soil or rock

Example Sentences:
'Rain eroded the terraces'

16. eat away, fret

wear away or erode

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.


Fret

see synonyms of fret
verbWord forms: frets, fretting or fretted
1. 
to distress or be distressed; worry
2. 
to rub or wear away
3. 
to irritate or be irritated; feel or give annoyance or vexation
4. 
to eat away or be eaten away by chemical action; corrode
5. (intransitive)
(of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop; scab
6. 
to agitate (water) or (of water) to be agitated
7. (transitive)
to make by wearing away; erode
noun
8. 
a state of irritation or anxiety
9. 
the result of fretting; corrosion
10. 
a hole or channel caused by fretting
noun
1. 
a repetitive geometrical figure, esp one used as an ornamental border
2. 
such a pattern made in relief and with numerous small openings; fretwork
3. heraldry
a charge on a shield consisting of a mascle crossed by a saltire
verbWord forms: frets, fretting or fretted
4. (transitive)
to ornament with fret or fretwork
noun
any of several small metal bars set across the fingerboard of a musical instrument of the lute, guitar, or viol family at various points along its length so as to produce the desired notes when the strings are stopped by the fingers
noun
short for sea fret

Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers


Fret

see synonyms of fret
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfretted or ˈfretting
1. 
to eat away; gnaw
2. 
to wear away by gnawing, rubbing, corroding, etc.
3. 
to make or form by wearing away
4. 
to make rough; disturb
wind fretting the water
5. 
to irritate; vex; annoy; worry
verb intransitive
6. 
to gnaw (into, on, or upon)
7. 
to become eaten, corroded, worn, frayed, etc.
8. 
to become rough or disturbed
9. 
to be irritated, annoyed, or querulous; worry
noun
10. 
a wearing away
11. 
a worn place
12. 
irritation; worry
noun
1. 
an ornamental net or network, esp. one formerly worn by women as a headdress
2. 
an ornamental pattern of small, straight bars intersecting or joining one another, usually at right angles, to form a regular design, as for a border or in an architectural relief
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfretted or ˈfretting
3. 
to ornament with a fret
noun
1. 
any of several narrow, lateral ridges fixed across the fingerboard of a banjo, guitar, mandolin, etc. to regulate the fingering
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈfretted or ˈfretting
2. 
to furnish with frets
3. 
to press the strings (of a banjo, etc.) against the frets

Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.


Fret

see synonyms of fret
v. fret·ted, fret·ting, frets
v.intr.
1. To be vexed or troubled; worry. See Synonyms at brood.
2. To be worn or eaten away; become corroded.
3. To move agitatedly.
4. To gnaw with the teeth in the manner of a rodent.
v.tr.
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. A hole or worn spot made by abrasion or erosion.
3. Irritation of mind; agitation.
n.
One of several ridges set across the fingerboard of certain stringed instruments, such as guitars.
tr.v. fret·ted, fret·ting, frets
1. To provide with frets.
2. To press (the strings of an instrument) against the frets.
n.
1. An ornamental design consisting of repeated and symmetrical geometric figures, often in relief, contained within a band or border. Also called key pattern.
2. A headdress, worn by women of the Middle Ages, consisting of interlaced wire.
tr.v. fret·ted, fret·ting, frets
To provide with such a design or headdress.

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.