fray


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Related to fray: above the fray

fray 1

 (frā)
n.
1. A fight; a brawl. See Synonyms at brawl.
2. A heated dispute or intensely competitive situation: "Minneapolis became the latest battleground in the fray over bio-engineering as hundreds of protesters took to the streets" (Todd Wilkinson).
3. A military engagement; a battle.
tr.v. frayed, fray·ing, frays Archaic
1. To alarm; frighten.
2. To drive away.

[Middle English frai, shortening of affrai; see affray.]

fray 2

 (frā)
v. frayed, fray·ing, frays
v.tr.
1. To strain; chafe: repeated noises that fray the nerves.
2. To wear away (the edges of fabric, for example) by rubbing.
v.intr.
To become worn away or tattered along the edges.
n.
A frayed or threadbare spot, as on fabric.

[Middle English fraien, to wear, bruise, from Old French fraier, to rub, from Latin fricāre.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fray

(freɪ)
n
1. a noisy quarrel
2. a fight or brawl
3. an archaic word for fright
vb
(tr) to frighten
[C14: short for affray]

fray

(freɪ)
vb
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
n
a frayed place, as in cloth
[C14: from French frayer to rub, from Latin fricāre; see friction, friable]
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

fray1

(freɪ)

n.
1. a fight; skirmish; conflict.
2. a noisy quarrel or debate.
3. Archaic. fright.
v.t.
4. Archaic. to frighten.
[1250–1300; Middle English frai; aph. variant of affray]

fray2

(freɪ)

v.t.
1. to wear (material) into loose threads at the edge or end: to fray a cuff.
2. to wear out by rubbing.
3. to cause strain on: The argument frayed their nerves.
v.i.
4. to become frayed: sweaters frayed at the elbows.
n.
5. a frayed part.
[1375–1425; late Middle English < Old French frayer,freiier to rub < Latin fricāre]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

fray


Past participle: frayed
Gerund: fraying

Imperative
fray
fray
Present
I fray
you fray
he/she/it frays
we fray
you fray
they fray
Preterite
I frayed
you frayed
he/she/it frayed
we frayed
you frayed
they frayed
Present Continuous
I am fraying
you are fraying
he/she/it is fraying
we are fraying
you are fraying
they are fraying
Present Perfect
I have frayed
you have frayed
he/she/it has frayed
we have frayed
you have frayed
they have frayed
Past Continuous
I was fraying
you were fraying
he/she/it was fraying
we were fraying
you were fraying
they were fraying
Past Perfect
I had frayed
you had frayed
he/she/it had frayed
we had frayed
you had frayed
they had frayed
Future
I will fray
you will fray
he/she/it will fray
we will fray
you will fray
they will fray
Future Perfect
I will have frayed
you will have frayed
he/she/it will have frayed
we will have frayed
you will have frayed
they will have frayed
Future Continuous
I will be fraying
you will be fraying
he/she/it will be fraying
we will be fraying
you will be fraying
they will be fraying
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been fraying
you have been fraying
he/she/it has been fraying
we have been fraying
you have been fraying
they have been fraying
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been fraying
you will have been fraying
he/she/it will have been fraying
we will have been fraying
you will have been fraying
they will have been fraying
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been fraying
you had been fraying
he/she/it had been fraying
we had been fraying
you had been fraying
they had been fraying
Conditional
I would fray
you would fray
he/she/it would fray
we would fray
you would fray
they would fray
Past Conditional
I would have frayed
you would have frayed
he/she/it would have frayed
we would have frayed
you would have frayed
they would have frayed
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.fray - a noisy fightfray - a noisy fight        
fighting, combat, fight, scrap - the act of fighting; any contest or struggle; "a fight broke out at the hockey game"; "there was fighting in the streets"; "the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap"
Verb1.fray - wear away by rubbing; "The friction frayed the sleeve"
fall apart, wear out, bust, wear, break - go to pieces; "The lawn mower finally broke"; "The gears wore out"; "The old chair finally fell apart completely"
2.fray - cause friction; "my sweater scratches"
adjoin, contact, touch, meet - be in direct physical contact with; make contact; "The two buildings touch"; "Their hands touched"; "The wire must not contact the metal cover"; "The surfaces contact at this point"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

fray

1
noun fight, battle, row, conflict, clash, set-to (informal), riot, combat, disturbance, rumble (U.S. & N.Z. slang), quarrel, brawl, skirmish, scuffle, rumpus, broil, affray (Law), shindig (informal), donnybrook, battle royal, ruckus (informal), scrimmage, shindy (informal), bagarre (French), melee or mêlée Today he entered the fray on the side of the moderates.

fray

2
verb
1. wear thin, wear, rub, fret, wear out, chafe, wear away, become threadbare The stitching had begun to fray at the edges.
2. strain, become tense, become stressed, become on edge Tempers began to fray as the two teams failed to score.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

fray

noun
A quarrel, fight, or disturbance marked by very noisy, disorderly, and often violent behavior:
Informal: fracas.
Slang: rumble.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يَنْسِلُ
třepit se
slide
harsuuntua
kirojtosodik
trosna; valda trosnun
brigztispurti
apspurtnodriskātspuroties
strapkať sa
yıpranıp tel tel olmak

fray

1 [freɪ] N (= fight) → combate m, lucha f
to be ready for the fray (lit, fig) → estar dispuesto a pelear
to enter the fray (fig) → entrar en acción or en liza

fray

2 [freɪ]
A. VI
1. [cloth, garment, cuff] → deshilacharse; [rope] → desgastarse
2. (fig) tempers frayed in the discussion that followedlos ánimos se caldearon en la discusión que siguió
B. VT
1. [+ cloth, garment, cuff] → deshilachar, raer; [+ rope] → desgastar
2. [+ nerves] → crispar
the constant tapping was beginning to fray my nervesel constante repiqueteo me estaba empezando a crispar los nervios
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

fray

[ˈfreɪ]
n
to enter the fray, to join the fray [competitor] → entrer en lice
the political fray → la mêlée politique
vt [+ material] → effilocher
vi [fabric, cuff, stitching] → s'effilocher
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

fray

1
nSchlägerei f; (Mil) → Kampf m; ready for the fray (lit, fig)kampfbereit, zum Kampf bereit; to be eager for the fray (lit, fig)kampflustig sein; to enter the fray (fig)sich in den Kampf or Streit einschalten

fray

2
vt clothausfransen; cuff, ropedurchscheuern; this can fray the nervesdas kann einem ganz schön auf die Nerven gehen
vi (cloth)(aus)fransen; (cuff, trouser turn-up, rope)sich durchscheuern; tempers began to fraydie Gemüter begannen sich zu erhitzen or zu erregen; to be fraying at or around the edges (inf, alliance, marriage etc) → zu bröckeln beginnen
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

fray

1 [freɪ] n (old) (fight) → zuffa, baruffa
ready for the fray (also) (fig) → pronto/a a battersi
to return to the fray → ributtarsi nella mischia

fray

2 [freɪ]
1. vt (cloth, cuff, rope) → consumare, logorare
tempers were getting frayed → (tutti) cominciavano a innervosirsi
her nerves were frayed → aveva i nervi a pezzi
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

fray

(frei) verb
(of cloth, rope etc) to make or become worn at the ends or edges, so that the threads or fibres come loose. This material frays easily.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
References in classic literature ?
Here's her form, upon my soul; I believe I may cry stole away." And indeed so he might; for he had now discovered the place whence the poor girl had, at the beginning of the fray, stolen away, upon as many feet as a hare generally uses in travelling.
Then they rushed together, and that fray was fierce.
Fierce Mars, to help the Trojans, covered them in a veil of darkness, and went about everywhere among them, inasmuch as Phoebus Apollo had told him that when he saw Pallas, Minerva leave the fray he was to put courage into the hearts of the Trojans--for it was she who was helping the Danaans.
But once Tashtego's senior, an old Gay-Head Indian among the crew, superstitiously asserted that not till he was full forty years old did Ahab become that way branded, and then it came upon him, not in the fury of any mortal fray, but in an elemental strife at sea.
There is a sense of satisfaction in looking at your men all ready for the fray.
In reading his 'Chronicle' I suffered for a time from its attribution to Fray Antonio Agapida, the pious monk whom he feigns to have written it, just as in reading 'Don Quixote' I suffered from Cervantes masquerading as the Moorish scribe, Cid Hamet Ben Engeli.
Thus did we pass By places shadowed most with the night, And me, whom late the dart which enemies threw, Nor press of Argive routs could make amaz'd, Each whisp'ring wind hath power now to fray, And every sound to move my doubtful mind.
The Sheep eating the acorns inadvertently frayed and tore the cloak.
Then he carefully scrutinized the broken and frayed end where it had snapped off when the burglar had dragged it down.
It was frayed at the sleeves and little holes had appeared at the knees and elbows.
He wore shabby black clothes, with holes at the elbows of his coat and frayed trousers.
I judged him to be a bachelor from the frayed condition of his linen, and he appeared to have sustained a good many bereavements; for, he wore at least four mourning rings, besides a brooch representing a lady and a weeping willow at a tomb with an urn on it.