fray
/fɹeɪ/ verb C1- To rub or wear away (something); to cause (something made of strands twisted or woven together, such as cloth or rope) to unravel through friction; also, to irritate (something) through chafing or rubbing; to chafe.
- Of a deer: to rub (its antlers or head) against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet from antlers or to mark territory; also, to rub its antlers against (a tree, etc.) for that purpose.
- To force or make (a path, way, etc.) through.
- To become unravelled or worn; to unravel.
- To rub.
- Of a deer: to rub its antlers against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet or to mark territory.
- Of a person's mental strength, nerves, temper, etc.: to become exhausted or worn out. · The hectic day ended in her nerves frayed.
He/she/it frays · Past frayed · Past participle frayed · -ing form fraying
Verb forms
- Base form
- fray
- He/she/it
- frays
- Past
- frayed
- Past participle
- frayed
- -ing form
- fraying
From the library
The Sheep eating the acorns inadvertently frayed and tore the cloak.
A frayed top-hat and a faded brown overcoat with a wrinkled velvet collar lay upon a chair beside him.
Especially did the Queen’s class gird up their loins for the fray, for at the end of the coming year, dimly shadowing their pathway already, loomed up that fateful thing known as “the Entrance,” at the thought of which one and all felt their hearts sink into their very shoes.
Here is a man with an English coat frayed at the elbow and trousers bagged at the knee with a year's wear, and yet by this document and by his own account he is a provincial American lately landed in London.
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