fray

/freɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /freɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈfrā/ (ame, mw)

fray — 動詞

  • 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

1.動詞及物 / 不及物B2
釋義

磨損；脫線

布料或繩索邊緣的線散開

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.

例句

The cuffs of Min's old denim jacket were beginning to fray.

Min 那件舊牛仔外套的袖口開始磨損脫線了。

intransitive: [cloth] frays

Years of dragging across the deck had frayed the climbing rope.

在甲板上拖了好幾年，那條攀岩繩已經磨損了。

transitive: [friction] frays [rope]

同義詞
  • unravel

    Stresses threads coming undone in a continuous strand; can apply to knitting where 'fray' usually cannot.

  • wear

    More general — anything can wear; 'fray' specifically describes loose threads at an edge.

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

❌My shirt is fraid at the cuffs.
✅My shirt is frayed at the cuffs.
💡the past participle is 'frayed', not 'fraid'.

2. for people's patience, nerves, or tempers to slowly wear down during a stressful

2.動詞及物 / 不及物C1
釋義

失去耐性

情緒在壓力下逐漸失控

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.

例句

After three hours stuck in traffic, Zayd's nerves were starting to fray.

塞在車陣裡三個小時後，Zayd 的神經開始繃不住了。

[someone's] nerves fray (intransitive)

Tempers frayed during the long meeting about the school budget.

在那場討論校園預算的冗長會議中，大家都失去了耐性。

tempers fray (typical collocation)

同義詞
  • wear thin

    Very close in meaning when the subject is 'patience'; slightly more informal.

  • wear down

    Broader — can describe a person's overall energy, not just their patience.

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

❌I was frayed after the meeting.
✅My nerves were frayed after the meeting.
💡a person isn't frayed; their nerves / patience / temper are.

fray — 名詞