fray
verb /freɪ/
/freɪ/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they fray | /freɪ/ /freɪ/ |
| he / she / it frays | /freɪz/ /freɪz/ |
| past simple frayed | /freɪd/ /freɪd/ |
| past participle frayed | /freɪd/ /freɪd/ |
| -ing form fraying | /ˈfreɪɪŋ/ /ˈfreɪɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] if cloth frays or something frays it, the threads in it start to come apart
- The cuffs of his shirt were fraying.
- This material frays easily.
- fray something It was fashionable to fray the bottoms of your jeans.
- [intransitive, transitive] fray (something) if somebody’s nerves or temper frays or something frays them, the person starts to get annoyed
- As the debate went on, tempers began to fray.
Word Originverb late Middle English: from Old French freiier, from Latin fricare ‘to rub’.
Idioms
fray at/around the edges/seams
- to start to come apart or to fail
- Support for the leader was fraying at the edges.