1
as in to erode
to consume or wear away gradually
over the span of thousands of years, the annual spring runoff fretted the rock, forming a deep channel
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to wear
to damage or diminish by continued friction
don't let the girth fret the horse's belly or you won't be able to ride him
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to worry
to experience concern or anxiety
don't fret over whether it will be sunny tomorrow, as there's nothing we can do about it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in panic
a state of nervous or irritated concern
one of my customers always gets into a fret if I'm so much as 15 minutes late delivering his newspaper
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fret
Andrew Keatts, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
Investors are fretting about Trump's policies and growing concern about a recession hitting the U.S. this year.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
The good news is America’s top economist, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is not fretting just yet.
—David Goldman, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Even with that uncertainty days before the deadline, Greenway wasn’t fretting the way others might have been.
—Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fret
Verb
Don't fret: less adventurous kids can opt for Madagascar vanilla, double chocolate or mile and cookies.
—Andrew Keatts, Axios, 13 Mar. 2025
Investors are fretting about Trump's policies and growing concern about a recession hitting the U.S. this year.
—Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 12 Mar. 2025
The good news is America’s top economist, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, is not fretting just yet.
—David Goldman, CNN, 10 Mar. 2025
Even with that uncertainty days before the deadline, Greenway wasn’t fretting the way others might have been.
—Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 9 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fret
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fret
Verb
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Now, just as television’s role turned front-row briefing seats into prime real estate, evolving technology may erode the importance of giving those seats to television and newswire services.—
Haisten Willis,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Apr. 2025
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Chevron also challenged the costly wetlands restoration project proposed by the parish, which involved removing large amounts of contaminated soil and filling in the swaths fragmented wetlands eroded over the last century.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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To be fair, goalies wore more modern-day uniforms in Gretzky's final seasons, and two years before Ovechkin entered the NHL, the length of goalie pads was limited to 38 inches.—
Jim Sergent,
USA Today,
5 Apr. 2025
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The clothing characters wear can be created to deftly pass on information that cannot be left to dialogue or exposition.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Musk ‘brand tornado crisis’ hits sales Analysts continue to worry that Musk’s actions elsewhere are hurting Tesla.—
Chris Isidore,
CNN Money,
2 Apr. 2025
-
That’s more than the average user would use, so don't worry about about hitting your allowances.—
StackCommerce Team (Sponsored),
PC Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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First, coffee is significantly more acidic than matcha, which can irritate some people's stomachs or cause heartburn.—
Sohaib Imtiaz,
Verywell Health,
26 Mar. 2025
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She’s disillusioned with her boyfriend and irritated by her mother.—
Manuel Betancourt,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The sudden panic over Florida's special elections has finally put President Trump on the same page as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.): The GOP's margin is too close for comfort.—
Marc Caputo,
Axios,
28 Mar. 2025
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The sight of strangers or unexpected knocks on the door trigger panic and tears, out of fear that death will follow.—
Dominique Soguel,
Christian Science Monitor,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In fact, a recent survey showed that 36% of Chick-fil-A dinner customers take their meal to go from restaurants to eat at home.—
Meghan Overdeep,
Southern Living,
19 July 2017
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Eating it: Some folks spoon directly into their mouths.—
Ann Maloney,
NOLA.com,
19 July 2017
Verb
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Our protagonist, Sean Bruner (Ross Marquand), is a security guard working at a private school in Los Angeles who’s fraying under the pressures of impending fatherhood.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
12 Mar. 2025
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Canada’s democracy has frayed and strained in the years since, but always held—Quebec’s independence movement was subdued by real concessions from the rest of the provinces, for instance.—
Bill McKibben,
The New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
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By March 4, some 153 of the facilities managed to reopen as charities scratched together money, according to Ajyal Sultany, head of communications for WHO in Kabul.—
Khwaga Ghani,
NPR,
31 Mar. 2025
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While anyone can enjoy listening to albums or 45s on the go, KORG also includes a wide range of features aimed at DJs, including playback speed adjustment, a beat looper (which gives the ability to layer scratches over a beat loop), filters, a fader and delay effects.—
Brad Moon,
Forbes.com,
31 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fret.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fret. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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