fringe

[frinj]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fringe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a decorative border of thread, cord, or the like, usually hanging loosely from a raveled edge or separate strip.

anything resembling or suggesting this: a fringe of grass around a swimming pool.

an outer edge; margin; periphery: on the fringe of the art world.

something regarded as peripheral, marginal, secondary, or extreme in relation to something else: the lunatic fringe of a strong political party.

Optics. one of the alternate light and dark bands produced by diffraction or interference.

fringe benefit.

verb (used with object), fringed, fring·ing.

to furnish with or as if with a fringe.

to serve as a fringe for, or to be arranged around or along so as to suggest a fringe: armed guards fringing the building.

Origin of fringe

1325–75; Middle English frenge < Old French (French frange) < Vulgar Latin *frimbia, metathetic variant of Late Latin fimbria, Latin fimbriae fringe

Related formsfringe·less, adjectivefringe·like, adjectivefring·y, adjectiveun·der·fringe, nounun·fringe, verb (used with object), un·fringed, un·fring·ing.

Synonyms for fringe

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fringe ON THESAURUS.COM

2. edge, border, skirt, rim.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for fringe

perimeter, outskirts, edge, periphery, verge, hem, skirt, brink, march, borderline, edging, binding, outside, limit, brim, ruffle, flounce, margin, tassel, rickrack

Examples from the Web for fringe

Contemporary Examples of fringe

The Five Percent Nation of Islam was there as well as fringe Stalinist groups.
Sharpton Recalls Civil Rights Struggle in DC March Against Police Violence
Ben Jacobs
December 13, 2014
GALLERY: 'JUSTICE FOR ALL' MARCH IN WASHINGTON DC There were plenty of representatives of the fringe too.
Sharpton Recalls Civil Rights Struggle in DC March Against Police Violence
Ben Jacobs
December 13, 2014
Unlike Cosby, who had only a fringe of gray hair left, he still sported a silver mane.
Why Comedians Still Think Bill Cosby Is a Genius
Mark Whitaker
October 5, 2014
We may be beset by deep political divisions, but the moderate, outward-looking center is large; not a fringe section of society.
Beirut Letter: In Lebanon, Fighting ISIS With Culture and Satire
Kim Ghattas
September 22, 2014
The senator disappointed his fringe, libertarian followers with his support of airstrikes.
Rand Paul’s Fans Hate His ISIS Plan
Olivia Nuzzi
September 19, 2014

Historical Examples of fringe

But the fringe did not reach to the ground and under the bush, in its dark interior.
Green Mansions
W. H. Hudson
Dissembling her displeasure, she praised the hammer-cloth, and especially the fringe.
Tales And Novels, Volume 3 (of 10)
Maria Edgeworth
One might edge a wall-paper or fringe a robe with a recurring decimal.
Alarms and Discursions
G. K. Chesterton
A fringe of ice had formed during the night along the shore.
The Long Labrador Trail
Dillon Wallace
The woods leaned over the fringe of bushes cool and green and silent.
The Forest
Stewart Edward White

British Dictionary definitions for fringe

fringe

noun

an edging consisting of hanging threads, tassels, etc

an outer edge; periphery
(as modifier)fringe dwellers; a fringe area

(modifier) unofficial; not conventional in formfringe theatre

mainly British a section of the front hair cut short over the forehead

an ornamental border or margin

physics any of the light and dark or coloured bands produced by diffraction or interference of light

verb (tr)

to adorn or fit with a fringe or fringes

to be a fringe forfur fringes the satin

Derived Formsfringeless, adjective

Word Origin for fringe

C14: from Old French frenge, ultimately from Latin fimbria fringe, border; see fimbria

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

Word Origin and History for fringe

early 14c., from Old French frenge "thread, strand, fringe, hem" (early 14c.), from Vulgar Latin *frimbia, metathesis of Latin fimbriae (plural) "fibers, threads, fringe," of uncertain origin. Figurative sense of "outer edge, margin," is first recorded 1894. Related: Fringes. Fringe benefits is recorded from 1952.

late 15c., from fringe (n.). Related: Fringed; fringing.