fraying
fraying — verb
- frayingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- frayings3rd person singular
- frayinging-ing form
- frayingedpast simple
1. When cloth, rope, or other woven material frays, the threads along its border or
When cloth, rope, or other woven material frays, the threads along its border or tip come loose because of repeated rubbing, stretching, or age.
The cuffs of Esteban's old jacket had begun to fray after years of use.
intransitive: cloth fraying from wear
Nora carefully trimmed the frayed edges of the rope before tying it to the boat.
frayed as adjective modifying cloth/rope
The constant rubbing against the saddle had frayed the horse's blanket in several places.
Henry noticed the flag fraying at corners where it whipped in the wind.
Daichi replaced the fraying power cord before it became a fire risk.
文法句型
fray + noun (transitive)
fray (intransitive, no object)
用法筆記
Often used in the progressive form (is fraying, are fraying) to describe the process as it happens. The past participle frayed also commonly appears as an adjective (frayed cuffs, frayed rope).
常見錯誤
2. If someone's nerves, temper, or patience frays, the person gradually feels more
If someone's nerves, temper, or patience frays, the person gradually feels more stressed, annoyed, or impatient, usually after a long period of difficulty or waiting.
After three hours stuck in traffic, Talia's nerves were beginning to fray badly.
nerves + fray — becoming stressed
The constant noise from the construction site made the neighbours' tempers fray.
temper + fray — becoming annoyed
Stefan felt his patience fraying as the meeting dragged past midnight with no agreement.
Rachid's temper frayed a little more with each rude email that arrived from the client.
With exams a week away, the students' nerves were visibly fraying across campus.
文法句型
nerves + fray
temper + frays
patience + frays
用法筆記
Only used with a small set of subject nouns: nerves, temper, and patience are the most common. The verb is always intransitive in this sense — you cannot 'fray someone's temper'. Frequently appears in the progressive form (is fraying) to describe a developing situation.
常見錯誤
fraying — noun
1. The small fibres or threads that have come loose from the surface of fabric, rop
The small fibres or threads that have come loose from the surface of fabric, rope, or carpet as it wears down through rubbing or age.
Linh brushed the fraying from her sweater off the sofa before the guests arrived.
fraying as direct object (uncountable noun)
The old carpet was covered in bits of fraying from years of foot traffic.
bits of fraying — partitive structure
Zayd picked at the fraying along the curtain edge while he waited for the phone.
Sari swept up the fraying that had gathered under the sewing machine.
用法筆記
Uncountable — you cannot say 'a fraying' or 'two frayings'. This sense is less common than the verb; it mainly appears in descriptions of material wear (carpets, upholstery, clothing seams).