fringe
Americannoun
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fringes
plural
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a decorative border of thread, cord, or the like, usually hanging loosely from a raveled edge or separate strip.
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anything resembling or suggesting this.
a fringe of grass around a swimming pool.
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an outer edge; margin; periphery.
on the fringe of the art world.
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something regarded as peripheral, marginal, secondary, or extreme in relation to something else.
the lunatic fringe of a strong political party.
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Optics. one of the alternate light and dark bands produced by diffraction or interference.
verb (used with object)
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fringes,
present (3rd person singular)
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fringed,
past participle, past
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fringing
present participle
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to furnish with or as if with a fringe.
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to serve as a fringe for, or to be arranged around or along so as to suggest a fringe.
armed guards fringing the building.
noun
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an edging consisting of hanging threads, tassels, etc
-
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an outer edge; periphery
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( as modifier )
fringe dwellers
a fringe area
-
-
(modifier) unofficial; not conventional in form
fringe theatre
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a section of the front hair cut short over the forehead
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an ornamental border or margin
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physics any of the light and dark or coloured bands produced by diffraction or interference of light
verb
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to adorn or fit with a fringe or fringes
-
to be a fringe for
fur fringes the satin
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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underfringenoun
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unfringeverb (used with object)
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fringelessadjective
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fringelikeadjective
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fringyadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fringesimple
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fringessimple
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have fringedperfect
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has fringedperfect
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am fringingprogressive
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are fringingprogressive
-
is fringingprogressive
-
have been fringingperfect progressive
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has been fringingperfect progressive
Past
-
fringedsimple
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had fringedperfect
-
was fringingprogressive
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were fringingprogressive
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had been fringingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fringe
1325–75; Middle English frenge < Old French ( French frange ) < Vulgar Latin *frimbia, metathetic variant of Late Latin fimbria, Latin fimbriae fringe
Explanation
If you make cutoffs from jeans, the little white strings around the edges of the legs make a fringe. A fringe is a decorative edge made of hanging strings of fabric. You know how fringe hangs on the edge of fabric and clothing? Think of this picture when you see fringe used metaphorically to mean something that is on the outer boundaries of something else. Many cities hold events called fringe festivals that celebrate art created on the fringe of the established art world. A group of people whose beliefs place them on the outskirts of a social group is called a fringe group. And beware of the lunatic fringe — they are the extremists and fanatics of a social or political movement.
Vocabulary lists containing fringe
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Over the past decade, he has transformed the party from a fringe movement into a force in French politics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Mackie, known widely as the King of Camp, who adorned superstars including Diana Ross, Dolly Parton, Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus with fringe and sparkles, died on Sept. 14 in Palm Springs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
But despite the term being popular, Ockwell-Smith believes that gentle parenting is still a fringe movement and that authoritarian parenting remains the dominant style.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
There were handheld American flags on skinny sticks, midsize ones to display on a wall and majestic formal flags adorned with silky gold fringe.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
They were strange and shaggy affairs, woven out of stolen things—dropped ribbons and hanks of hair, fringe torn off shawls and even shed feathers.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
Brand was found not guilty by the jury of raping a woman he met at a cabaret show on the fringes of the 1999 Labour Party conference in Bournemouth.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
A slowdown even at the fringes of data center development can ratchet down cost pressures on supplies, labor and credit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Russian forces have edged close to the city's eastern fringes, which has prompted calls for the civilians who remain to relocate to safer regions of Ukraine.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
Angelenos avoided the most significant impacts of Hurricane Marie over the Labor Day weekend, but the region continued to soak up the fringes of the storm Sunday, according to meteorologists.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2026
He was wearing his usual dark suit, tieless shirt, fringes, and skullcap.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
The special effects team has done terrific work re-creating his body down to the creature’s fringed lashes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
Other tour boats skate around the limestone coast fringed with wind-blasted greenery.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
Woven baskets, checkered blankets, fringed umbrellas and trimmed napkins prove picnic classics never go out of style.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Boxy tweed boucle jackets with fringed trims and structured brightly coloured handbags were the order of day, with various materials including lace also on display.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2026
I turned and saw a cowgirl with a leather skirt, chaps, a fringed jacket, hat and bandanna over her face.
From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine
Sat behind a fringing machine at the mill, Hyslop, 28, deftly ran a dark cashmere fabric destined for a Spanish luxury brand through its frame, twisting the ends of the cloth into fringes.
From Barron's ● Feb. 20, 2026
The double-sided style is finished with chunky fringing and, even better, large rectangular pockets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2025
The world's largest fringing reef and another of Australia's Unesco World Heritage Sites, it is home to a lush oceanic forest that spreads out along the coast for hundreds of kilometres.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2025
After 10 days underway from New Zealand, the Araon reached the sea ice fringing Antarctica.
From Science Magazine ● Apr. 18, 2024
Then they turned south again, following a dirt road through open woods and into a marshy area fringing Lake Washington.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
