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Added 9 October 2026

fraught

/fɹɔːt/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about fraught at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

The hire of a boat or ship to transport cargo. Money paid to hire a vessel for this purpose; freight.
fraught money
The hire of a boat or ship to transport cargo.
Money paid to hire a vessel for this purpose; freight.
fraught money

verb

To load (a boat, ship, or other vessel) with cargo. To burden or load (someone or something). Followed by with: to furnish or provide (something).
To load (a boat, ship, or other vessel) with cargo.
To burden or load (someone or something).

adjective

Of a boat, ship, or other vessel: laden with cargo.
Followed by with: carrying, or charged or loaded up with (usually something negative); accompanied by; entailing.
Carrying or loaded with anxiety, fear, or stress, for example, due to complexity or difficulty; distressed; also, causing distress; distressing.
a fraught relationship a fraught process

Origin

From Middle English fraught, fraght, freght (“transport of goods or people (usually by water); charge for such transport; facilities for such transport; cargo or passengers of a ship; ballast of a ship; goods in general; (figurative) burden; charge”), from Middle Dutch vracht, vrecht, or Middle Low German vracht, vrecht (“cargo, freight; charge for transport of goods”), from Proto-Germanic *fra-aihtiz, from *fra- (intensifying prefix) + Proto-Germanic *aihtiz (“acquisition; possessions, property”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eyḱ- (“to come into possession of, obtain; to own, possess”)). Doublet of freight.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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