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.

[Middle English freten, from Old English fretan, to devour; see ed- in Indo-European roots.]

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.]

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fret3
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
Present
I fret
you fret
he/she/it frets
we fret
you fret
they fret
Preterite
I fretted
you fretted
he/she/it fretted
we fretted
you fretted
they fretted
Present Continuous
I am fretting
you are fretting
he/she/it is fretting
we are fretting
you are fretting
they are fretting
Present Perfect
I have fretted
you have fretted
he/she/it has fretted
we have fretted
you have fretted
they have fretted
Past Continuous
I was fretting
you were fretting
he/she/it was fretting
we were fretting
you were fretting
they were fretting
Past Perfect
I had fretted
you had fretted
he/she/it had fretted
we had fretted
you had fretted
they had fretted
Future
I will fret
you will fret
he/she/it will fret
we will fret
you will fret
they will fret
Future Perfect
I will have fretted
you will have fretted
he/she/it will have fretted
we will have fretted
you will have fretted
they will have fretted
Future Continuous
I will be fretting
you will be fretting
he/she/it will be fretting
we will be fretting
you will be fretting
they will be fretting
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been fretting
you have been fretting
he/she/it has been fretting
we have been fretting
you have been fretting
they have been fretting
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been fretting
you will have been fretting
he/she/it will have been fretting
we will have been fretting
you will have been fretting
they will have been fretting
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been fretting
you had been fretting
he/she/it had been fretting
we had been fretting
you had been fretting
they had been fretting
Conditional
I would fret
you would fret
he/she/it would fret
we would fret
you would fret
they would fret
Past Conditional
I would have fretted
you would have fretted
he/she/it would have fretted
we would have fretted
you would have fretted
they would have fretted
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.fret - agitation resulting from active worryfret - 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
maculation, patch, speckle, dapple, fleck, spot - a small contrasting part of something; "a bald spot"; "a leopard's spots"; "a patch of clouds"; "patches of thin ice"; "a fleck of red"
3.fret - an ornamental pattern consisting of repeated vertical and horizontal lines (often in relief)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"
Verb1.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"
dither, pother, flap - make a fuss; be agitated
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"
furnish, provide, supply, render - give something useful or necessary to; "We provided the room with an electrical heater"
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
annoy, devil, gravel, irritate, nark, rile, vex, nettle, rag, bother, chafe, get at, get to - cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"
6.fret - gnaw into; make resentful or angry; "The injustice rankled her"; "his resentment festered"
annoy, devil, gravel, irritate, nark, rile, vex, nettle, rag, bother, chafe, get at, get to - cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations; "Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me"; "It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves"
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
adorn, decorate, grace, ornament, embellish, beautify - make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; "Decorate the room for the party"; "beautify yourself for the special day"
9.fret - be too tight; rub or press; "This neckband is choking the cat"
constrict, compress, contract, compact, press, squeeze - squeeze or press together; "she compressed her lips"; "the spasm contracted the muscle"
10.fret - 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"
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
rust, corrode - become destroyed by water, air, or a corrosive such as an acid; "The metal corroded"; "The pipes rusted"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

fret

verb
1. worry, anguish, brood, agonize, obsess, lose sleep, upset yourself, distress yourself I was constantly fretting about others' problems.
2. annoy, trouble, bother, disturb, distress, provoke, irritate, grieve, torment, harass, nag, gall, agitate, ruffle, nettle, vex, goad, chagrin, irk, rile, pique, peeve (informal), rankle with The quickening of time frets me.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

fret

verb
1. To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations:
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.
3. To make (the skin) raw by or as if by friction:
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
lo lắng

fret

1 [fret]
A. VI (= worry) → preocuparse, apurarse
don't fretno te preocupes, no te apures
the baby is fretting for its motherel niño echa de menos a su madre
B. VT
1. (= worry) → preocupar
to fret the hours awaypasar las horas consumiéndose de inquietud
2. (= wear away) → corroer, raer, desgastar
C. N to be in a fretestar muy inquieto
to get into a fretapurarse

fret

2 [fret] N (Mus) → traste m
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

fret

[ˈfrɛt] vi (= worry) → se tracasser
to 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
nLaubsäge f
fretwork
n (in wood) → Laubsägearbeit f; (Archit) → Mäander m

fret

1
vi
(= become anxious)sich (dat)Sorgen machen (about um); (baby)unruhig sein; don’t fretberuhige dich; she frets over or about the slightest thingsie macht sich wegen jeder Kleinigkeit gleich Sorgen; the child is fretting for his motherdas Kind jammert nach seiner Mutter
(horse) to fret (at the bit)sich (am Biss) reiben or scheuern
vrsich (dat)Sorgen machen, sich aufregen
n to be in a fretsich (dat)Sorgen machen, in Sorge sein

fret

2
vt wood etclaubsägen

fret

3
n (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, affliggersi
don'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
References in classic literature ?
Don't grieve and fret when I am gone, or think that you can be idle and comfort yourselves by being idle and trying to forget.
"Now, ny dear young ladies, remember what your ma said, and don't fret. Come and have a cup of coffee all round, and then let's fall to work and be a credit to the family."
Don't fret about Father, dear," she added, as they parted.
I felt bad but did not fret I bear my troubles well but I do wish Hannah would put more starch in my aprons and have buckwheats every day.
"Don't you fret, Miss," said Luke, soothingly; "they're nash things, them lop-eared rabbits; they'd happen ha' died, if they'd been fed.
Night is at hand; the night winds fret afar, The North winds moan.
'I fret about nothing on earth except papa's illness,' answered my companion.
You should never fret about trifles." After a short silence -- "I hope, my Catherine, you are not getting out of humour with home because it is not so grand as Northanger.
"Eh, lad, don't fret!" said he, in the tender singsong caressing voice old Russian peasant women employ.
Now please don't fret over your son; you can't expect never to be parted."
Do not fret, Pauline; let us hope La Petite is a true Valmet."
He told how he went back for Becky and broke the good news and she told him not to fret her with such stuff, for she was tired, and knew she was going to die, and wanted to.