frill

[ fril ]

/ frɪl /

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See synonyms for: frill / frilled / frilling / frills on Thesaurus.com

noun

a trimming, as a strip of cloth or lace, gathered at one edge and left loose at the other; ruffle.

something resembling such a trimming, as the fringe of hair on the chest of some dogs.

affectation of manner, style, etc.

something superfluous.

Photography. wrinkling or loosening of an emulsion at the edges, usually due to excessively high temperature during developing.

verb (used with object)

to trim or ornament with a frill or frills.

to form into a frill.

verb (used without object)

Photography. (of an emulsion) to become wrinkled or loose.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of frill

First recorded in 1585–95; origin uncertain

OTHER WORDS FROM frill

friller, nounun·frill, verb (used with object)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use frill in a sentence

These days, plenty of women are turning to online sites for no-frills male companionship.
Career-Minded Women Turn to Male Escorts For No-Strings Fun and (Maybe) Sex|Aurora Snow|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Riffing off the slogan “Now Everyone Can Fly,” the carrier offered no-frills flights that were both cheap and plentiful.
The Presumed Crash of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 Is Nothing Like MH370|Lennox Samuels|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Cocker, by contrast, was always a rock singer, without frills or apologies.
The Greatest Rock Voice of All Time Belonged to Joe Cocker|Ted Gioia|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Stripped of these frills, the only real expense of a prison wedding is the officiant.
Saying Yes to the Dress—Behind Bars|Caitlin Dickson|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The no-frills airlines predominantly use two airplanes, either various versions of the Boeing 737 or the Airbus A320.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room|Clive Irving|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"Then you girls will be thinking more of frills and furbelows than you will of prizes," laughed Harold Day.
The Sunbridge Girls at Six Star Ranch|Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter
She had on her light-blue dimity with the Hamburg frills, and her sorrowful face indicated that she had donned it to no avail.
Country Neighbors|Alice Brown
With the bridle off, the big man went ahead abruptly, cutting out all the frills.
The Wreckers|Francis Lynde
The old gobbler has become expert at ascending the roof of the stable and not only does the trick with ease but puts frills on it.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
They wore a sword, carried a chapeau under the arm, wore laces and frills, and coats with cuffs heavy with gold lace.
The Old Furniture Book|N. Hudson Moore

British Dictionary definitions for frill

frill

/ (frɪl) /

noun

a gathered, ruched, or pleated strip of cloth sewn on at one edge only, as on garments, as ornament, or to give extra body

a ruff of hair or feathers around the neck of a dog or bird or a fold of skin around the neck of a reptile or amphibian

(often capital) a variety of domestic fancy pigeon having a ruff of curled feathers on the chest and cropFull name: oriental frill

photog a wrinkling or loosening of the emulsion at the edges of a negative or print

(often plural) informal a superfluous or pretentious thing or manner; affectationhe made a plain speech with no frills

verb

(tr) to adorn or fit with a frill or frills

to form into a frill or frills

(intr) photog (of an emulsion) to develop a frill

Derived forms of frill

frilliness, nounfrilly, adjective

Word Origin for frill

C14: perhaps of Flemish origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

frill

Origin of frill

OTHER WORDS FROM frill

Words related to frill

How to use frill in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for frill

Derived forms of frill

Word Origin for frill