Added 21 October 2026 · word of the day, 21 October 2026

fray

/fɹeɪ/ verb

Latin root: fricāre Wiktionary

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

To rub or wear away (something); to cause (something made of strands twisted or woven together, such as cloth or rope) to unravel through friction; also, to irritate (something) through chafing or rubbing; to chafe. Of a deer: to rub (its antlers or head) against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet from antlers or to mark territory; also, to rub its antlers against (a tree, etc.) for that purpose. To force or make (a path, way, etc.) through. To bruise (someone or something); also, to take the virginity of (someone, usually a female person); to deflower.
To rub or wear away (something); to cause (something made of strands twisted or woven together, such as cloth or rope) to unravel through friction; also, to irritate (something) through chafing or rubbing; to chafe. Of a deer: to rub (its antlers or head) against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet from antlers or to mark territory; also, to rub its antlers against (a tree, etc.) for that purpose.
Of a deer: to rub (its antlers or head) against a tree, etc., to remove the velvet from antlers or to mark territory; also, to rub its antlers against (a tree, etc.) for that purpose.

A consequence of rubbing, unravelling, or wearing away; a fraying; also, a place where fraying has occurred.

To alarm or frighten (someone or something).
To alarm or frighten (someone or something).
Often followed by away, off, or out: to frighten or scare (someone or something) away.

A noisy commotion, especially resulting from fighting; a brawl, a fight; also, a loud quarrel.
Though they did not know the reason for the dispute, they did not hesitate to leap into the fray.
A heated argument; a war of words.
Conflict, disagreement.

The verb is derived from Late Middle English fraien (“to beat so as to cause bruising, to bruise; to crush; to rub; to wear, wear off”), borrowed from Old French fraier, freier, freiier (modern French frayer (“to clear, open up (a path, etc.); (figuratively) to find one’s way through (something); (obsolete) to rub”)), from Latin fricāre, the present active infinitive of fricō (“to chafe; to rub”), an intensive form of friō (“to break into pieces, crumble; to rub”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreyH- (“to cut”). Sense 1.2 (“to force or make (a path, way, etc.) through”) is derived from modern French frayer: see above. The noun is derived from the verb.