fret

¹ American  

[fret] / frɛt /

verb (used without object)

fretted, fretting

1. to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like.

   Fretting about the lost ring isn't going to help.

   Synonyms:

   rage, fume

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..

   The river frets at its banks until a new channel is formed.

4. to become eaten, worn, or corroded (often followed byaway ).

   Limestone slowly frets away under pounding by the wind and rain.

5. to move in agitation or commotion, as water.

   water fretting over the stones of a brook.

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verb (used with object)

fretted, fretting

1. to torment; irritate, annoy, or vex.

   You mustn't fret yourself about that.

   Synonyms:

   tease, goad, harass, worry

2. to wear away or consume by gnawing, friction, rust, corrosives, etc..

   the ocean fretting its shores.

   Synonyms:

   rub, grind, abrade, corrode, gnaw, erode

3. to form or make by wearing away a substance.

   The river had fretted an underground passage.

4. to agitate (water).

   Strong winds were fretting the channel.

noun

1. an irritated state of mind; annoyance; vexation.

   Synonyms:

   worry, agitation, harassment

2. Now Rare.

   1. a wearing away; erosion; corrosion.

   2. a worn or eroded place.

fret ² American  

[fret] / frɛt /

noun

1. an interlaced, angular design; fretwork.

2. an angular design of bands within a border.

3. Heraldry. a charge composed of two diagonal strips interlacing with and crossing at the center of a mascle.

4. a piece of decoratively pierced work placed in a clock case to deaden the sound of the mechanism.

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verb (used with object)

fretted, fretting

1. to ornament with a fret or fretwork.

fret ³ American  

[fret] / frɛt /

noun

1. any of the ridges of wood, metal, or string, set across the fingerboard of a guitar, lute, or similar instrument, which help the fingers to stop the strings at the correct points.

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verb (used with object)

fretted, fretting

1. to provide with frets.

fret ¹ British  

/ frɛt /

verb

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. to eat away or be eaten away by chemical action; corrode

5. (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

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noun

1. a state of irritation or anxiety

2. the result of fretting; corrosion

3. a hole or channel caused by fretting

fret ² British  

/ frɛt /

noun

1. a repetitive geometrical figure, esp one used as an ornamental border

2. such a pattern made in relief and with numerous small openings; fretwork

3. heraldry a charge on a shield consisting of a mascle crossed by a saltire

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verb

1. (tr) to ornament with fret or fretwork

fret ³ British  

/ frɛt /

noun

1. 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

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fret ⁴ British  

/ frɛt /

noun

1. short for sea fret

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Other Word Forms

• fretter
  noun
• fretless
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fret¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English freten, freoten, vreten “to eat up, consume greedily, devour,” Old English fretan “to eat up, consume, devour”; cognate with Old Saxon fretan, Gothic fra-itan, Old High German frezzan ( German fressen “to feed, devour”), from Germanic fra-etan, equivalent to fra- for- ( def. ) + etan eat ( def. )

Origin of fret²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English fret, frette, probably from Old French frete “trelliswork,” possibly from a Germanic source; compare Old English frættewian, frætwian, fretwian “to adorn, embroider, trim”

Origin of fret³

First recorded in 1490–1500; origin uncertain

Explanation

When you fret, you worry so much about something that it eats away at you. Many people fret about taking standardized tests, but really, they're nothing to sweat. Fret comes from the Old English word freton which means to devour like an animal. When you fret over something, it consumes your thoughts. If you tell your mother to not fret about you while you're at a sleepover camp, you're telling her to not worry about you too much. Sometimes it means to be agitated though. When you're waiting for the results of an exam, you might fret and wring your hands. In a totally unrelated meaning, a guitar player calls the raised lines on the neck of the guitar that help him play correctly frets.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

fret fretted fretting

At a more prosaic level, software engineers and other tech workers who, until recently, seemed to have found an eddy of security in an uncertain economy, now fret that AI will take their jobs, too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

Hollywood has leaned into established IP this season, but if you’re seeking an original story, don’t fret, several of those are coming too.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

While the new Fed chair must navigate a period of uncertainty, there’s no urgency to overhaul your portfolio and fret about high-quality fixed-income bonds, especially shorter-duration offerings.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

And after the past month's wild volatility, some analysts are more upbeat about the outlook, even as some continue to fret.

From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026

The day we fret about the future is the day we leave our childhood behind.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

Their shorter-term outlook on stocks in September was neutral, as they fretted over potential volatility from choppy bond markets, looming midterm elections and geopolitical stress.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Yet this week he fretted about the pendulum swinging too far the other way.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

She fretted that she’d be unable to rebuild her audience and livelihood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Gen. Harold G. Moore, who commanded a cavalry unit at the late 1965 Ia Drang battle, fretted how the war was “devastating to the morale and effectiveness of every American unit in combat.”

From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026

While Dalgard fretted, Jahrling was in his space suit.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

We meet Mona in media res, nervously tapping her shoes on the carpeted lobby floor and fretting over her audition.

From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026

Nvidia shares rise again after hitting a record high on Monday, while Nike drops as investors carry on fretting about its weak guidance.

From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026

The lab wanted to make that clear to a public that, though plenty worried about the potential of artificial intelligence, wasn’t fretting enough about what these complex models were capable of now.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026

On Tuesday, two-time major winner Rahm was tight-lipped about his future and said he was not fretting about the "turbulence" away from the course.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

Frodo sat and listened to the faint lap and gurgle of the River fretting among the tree-roots and driftwood near the shore, until his head nodded and he fell into an uneasy sleep.

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Related Words

• agonize
• bother
• brood
• carp
• chafe
• fume
• fuss
• grieve