fray
/freɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /freɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfrā/ (ame, mw)
fray — verb
- fraypresent simple I / you / we / they
- frayshe / she / it
- frayedpast simple
- fraying-ing form
1. when fabric, a rug, or rope becomes worn so that its woven strands gradually pul
when fabric, a rug, or rope becomes worn so that its woven strands gradually pull apart along an exposed border — typically after long rubbing or washing.
The cuffs of Min's old denim jacket were beginning to fray.
intransitive: [cloth] frays
Years of dragging across the deck had frayed the climbing rope.
transitive: [friction] frays [rope]
Adina noticed the carpet had frayed badly near the front door.
The flag above the school gate had frayed into thin strips after a stormy winter.
文法句型
[cloth/rope] frays
[friction] frays [cloth/rope]
用法筆記
Subject is almost always a fabric or rope item; figurative subjects like 'edges of a deal' (= the deal is breaking down) are common in journalism.
常見錯誤
2. for people's patience, nerves, or tempers to slowly wear down during a stressful
for people's patience, nerves, or tempers to slowly wear down during a stressful situation, so that they start to get angry or upset more easily.
After three hours stuck in traffic, Zayd's nerves were starting to fray.
[someone's] nerves fray (intransitive)
Tempers frayed during the long meeting about the school budget.
tempers fray (typical collocation)
The constant delays at the airport frayed everyone's patience.
Soraya could feel her temper fraying as the children argued over the same toy again.
文法句型
[nerves/tempers/patience] fray
[stressful thing] frays [nerves/tempers]
用法筆記
Subject is typically an abstract noun for emotional control: 'nerves', 'tempers', 'patience'. Distinguish from sense 1 by the subject — physical cloth vs. inner state.
常見錯誤
fray — noun
1. a lively and often disorderly contest, fight, or argument — frequently used in t
a lively and often disorderly contest, fight, or argument — frequently used in the phrases 'enter the fray' (= join in) and 'stay out of the fray' (= avoid it).
Two more candidates entered the fray a week before the election.
enter the fray (join a contest)
Dario stayed out of the fray when his brothers argued about money.
stay out of the fray (avoid the fight)
The referee jumped into the fray to separate the two players.
By Friday, three other tech firms had joined the fray over the new contract.
文法句型
enter / join / leap into the fray
stay / keep out of the fray
用法筆記
Almost always appears with a verb of motion ('enter', 'join', 'leap into', 'stay out of') plus 'the fray'. Outside these set phrases it is rare in everyday English.