fret
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fret 1
(frĕt)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.
fret 2
(frĕt)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.
[Origin unknown.]
fret designs
fret 3
(frĕt)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.
[Middle English, interlaced work, from Old French frete.]
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.
fret
(frɛt)vb, 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. (Chemistry) to eat away or be eaten away by chemical action; corrode
5. (Civil Engineering) (intr) (of a road surface) to become loose so that potholes develop; scab
6. to agitate (water) or (of water) to be agitated
7. (tr) to make by wearing away; erode
n
8. a state of irritation or anxiety
9. (Chemistry) the result of fretting; corrosion
10. a hole or channel caused by fretting
[Old English fretan to eat; related to Old High German frezzan, Gothic fraitan, Latin peredere]
fret
(frɛt)n
1. (Building) a repetitive geometrical figure, esp one used as an ornamental border
2. (Building) such a pattern made in relief and with numerous small openings; fretwork
3. (Heraldry) heraldry a charge on a shield consisting of a mascle crossed by a saltire
vb, frets, fretting or fretted
(Art Terms) (tr) to ornament with fret or fretwork
[C14: from Old French frete interlaced design used on a shield, probably of Germanic origin]
ˈfretless adj
fret
(frɛt)n
(Instruments) 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
[C16: of unknown origin]
ˈfretless adj
fret
(frɛt)n
(Physical Geography) short for sea fret
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
fret1
(frɛt)v. fret•ted, fret•ting,
n. v.i.
1. to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like.
2. to cause corrosion; gnaw into something: acids that fret at the strongest metals.
3. to make a way by gnawing, corrosion, wearing away, etc.
4. to become eaten, worn, or corroded (often fol. by away).
5. to move in agitation or commotion, as water.
v.t. 6. to irritate, annoy, or vex; torment.
7. to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc.
8. to form or make by wearing away a substance.
9. to agitate (water).
n. 10. an irritated state of mind; annoyance; vexation.
11. erosion; corrosion.
12. a worn or eroded place.
[before 900; Middle English; Old English fretan to eat up]
fret′ter, n.
fret2
(frɛt)n., v. fret•ted, fret•ting. n.
1. an interlaced, angular design; fretwork.
2. an angular design of bands within a border.
3. a piece of decoratively pierced work placed in a clock case to deaden the sound.
v.t. 4. to ornament with a fret or fretwork.
[1350–1400; Middle English fret(ted) < Old French freté, akin to frete trellis]
fret′less, adj.
fret3
(frɛt)n., v. fret•ted, fret•ting. n.
1. any of the ridges of wood, metal, or string, set across the fingerboard of an instrument, as a guitar or lute, to help the fingers stop the strings at the correct points.
v.t. 2. to provide with frets.
[1490–1500]
fret′less, adj.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
fret
Past participle: fretted
Gerund: fretting
| Imperative |
|---|
| fret |
| fret |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  fret - agitation resulting from active worry; "don't get in a stew"; "he's in a sweat about exams"agitation - a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance |
| 2. | fret - a spot that has been worn away by abrasion or erosion | |
| 3. |  fret - an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and horizontal lines (often in relief); "there was a simple fret at the top of the walls"architectural ornament - (architecture) something added to a building to improve its appearance | |
| 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 bar - a rigid piece of metal or wood; usually used as a fastening or obstruction or weapon; "there were bars in the windows to prevent escape" | |
| Verb | 1. | fret - worry unnecessarily or excessively; "don't fuss too much over the grandchildren--they are quite big now" worry - be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy; "I worry about my job" scruple - raise scruples; "He lied and did not even scruple about it" |
| 2. | fret - be agitated or irritated; "don't fret over these small details" worry - be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy; "I worry about my job" dither - act nervously; be undecided; be uncertain | |
| 3. | fret - provide (a musical instrument) with frets; "fret a guitar" | |
| 4. | fret - become or make sore by or as if by rubbing irritate - excite to an abnormal condition, or chafe or inflame; "Aspirin irritates my stomach" | |
| 5. | fret - cause annoyance in | |
| 6. | fret - gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The injustice rankled her"; "his resentment festered" | |
| 7. | fret - carve a pattern into handicraft - a craft that requires skillful hands carve - form by carving; "Carve a flower from the ice" honeycomb - carve a honeycomb pattern into; "The cliffs were honeycombed" | |
| 8. | fret - decorate with an interlaced design | |
| 9. | fret - be too tight; rub or press; "This neckband is choking the cat" | |
| 10. | fret - cause friction; "my sweater scratches" | |
| 11. | fret - remove soil or rock; "Rain eroded the terraces" damage - inflict damage upon; "The snow damaged the roof"; "She damaged the car when she hit the tree" wash - form by erosion; "The river washed a ravine into the mountainside" | |
| 12. | fret - wear away or erode |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
fret
verb
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
fret
verb1. To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations:
aggravate, annoy, bother, bug, chafe, disturb, exasperate, gall, get, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, provoke, put out, rile, ruffle, vex.
Idioms: get in one's hair, get on one's nerves, get under one's skin.
2. To focus the attention on something moodily and at length:
Informal: stew.
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
يَقْلَقيُقْلِقُ
trápit seužírat se
bekymre(sig)bekymre sig
murehtia
s’agitertracasser
brinuti se
vera áhyggjufullur/órólegur
気をもむ
안달나다
krimstis
gaustiesraizētiessatraukties
trápiť sa
reta upp (sig)
กลัดกลุ้ม
endişe etmektasalanmaküzülmek
lo lắng
fret
1 [fret]A. VI (= worry) → preocuparse, apurarse
don't fret → no te preocupes, no te apures
the baby is fretting for its mother → el niño echa de menos a su madre
don't fret → no te preocupes, no te apures
the baby is fretting for its mother → el niño echa de menos a su madre
B. VT
fret
2 [fret] N (Mus) → traste mCollins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
fret
[ˈfrɛt] vi (= worry) → se tracasserto fret about sth, to fret over sth → se tracasser au sujet de qch
Philip was fretting about his exams → Philip se tracassait au sujet de ses examens.
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
fret
:fret saw
n → Laubsäge f
fretwork
n (in wood) → Laubsägearbeit f; (Archit) → Mäander m
fret
1vi
fret
2vt wood etc → laubsägen
fret
3n (on guitar etc) → Bund m
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
fret
[frɛt] vi (worry) → preoccuparsi, agitarsi, affliggersidon't fret → non preoccuparti
the baby is fretting for its mother → il/la bambino/a piange perché vuole la madre
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
fret
(fret) – past tense, past participle ˈfretted – verb to worry or show anxiety or discontentment. She was always fretting about something or other.
ˈfretful adjective cross; discontented. fretful children.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
fret
→ يُقْلِقُ trápit se bekymre(sig) aufregen (sich) ανησυχώ inquietarse murehtia s’agiter brinuti se preoccuparsi 気をもむ 안달나다 piekeren bekymre seg zaniepokoić atormentar, inquietar-se беспокоить(ся) reta upp (sig) กลัดกลุ้ม endişe etmek lo lắng 烦恼Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009