fraught
/frɔːt/ (bre, ipa) · /frɔːt/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfrȯt/ (ame, mw)
fraught — adjective
- fraughtpositive
- fraughtercomparative
- fraughtestsuperlative
1. loaded with danger, conflict, or other serious problems.
loaded with danger, conflict, or other serious problems.
The mountain road was fraught with falling rocks after last week's storm.
be fraught with + danger
Talks about the merger became fraught with legal threats and angry phone calls.
become fraught with + conflict
Supply problems left the project fraught with delays after three missed shipments.
By winter, the border crossing felt fraught with risk for aid drivers.
- problematic
weaker; points to difficulty without the same emotional weight
- risky
focuses more narrowly on possible harm
- troubled
often describes a period or relationship already marked by conflict
- safe
free from serious danger
- straightforward
without major complications
文法句型
be fraught with + danger/risk/problem
become fraught with + conflict/delay
用法筆記
Often followed by 'with' plus a noun naming danger, conflict, delay, or some other burden. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes the situation as packed with trouble, not mainly the tense feeling it creates.
常見錯誤
2. making people feel very tense and uneasy, or showing that strain clearly.
making people feel very tense and uneasy, or showing that strain clearly.
A fraught silence filled the kitchen after Kenji admitted he had sold the ring.
a fraught silence
The committee held a fraught meeting while parents waited outside the hall.
a fraught meeting
Christopher sounded fraught when he called from the airport during the storm.
Even lunch with old friends felt fraught after the news about the accident.
文法句型
a fraught silence/meeting/moment
feel/sound fraught
用法筆記
Usually describes a silence, conversation, meeting, or moment when strain is obvious. Unlike sense 1, it focuses on the anxious atmosphere or emotion rather than on a list of practical dangers.
fraught — noun
1. goods carried in a ship, wagon, or other vehicle.
goods carried in a ship, wagon, or other vehicle.
The captain checked the fraught before the barge left the muddy river dock.
check the fraught
Tax records listed the fraught as wool, salt, and two crates of glass.
list the fraught as + goods
At dawn, dockworkers covered the fraught with canvas before the rain arrived.
The sheriff seized the fraught after smugglers abandoned the wagon near town.
文法句型
the fraught + of a ship/wagon/barge
check/list/cover + the fraught
用法筆記
This noun is rare and mostly appears in historical or literary writing about transport. Modern English usually uses 'cargo', 'load', or 'freight' instead.
fraught — verb
- fraughtpresent simple I / you / we / they
- fraughts3rd person singular
- fraughting-ing form
- fraughtedpast simple
1. to load a ship, cart, animal, or other carrier with goods.
to load a ship, cart, animal, or other carrier with goods.
Before sunrise, the crew fraught the wagon with barley for the inland market.
fraught the wagon with + goods
Porters fraught the mule carts with firewood before the mountain road reopened.
fraught the mule carts with + goods
In the chronicle, sailors fraught the small boat with wine jars and rope.
Merchants fraught three river barges with rice ahead of the monsoon winds.
文法句型
fraught + vehicle/animal + with + goods
fraught + ship/cart/barge + for + destination
用法筆記
This verb is now rare and mainly found in old texts. In modern English, people usually say 'load', 'freight', or 'pack' instead.