While fretting today usually involves a concern that is figuratively eating at someone, fret has older senses that apply to literal eating. Fret comes from the Old English verb fretan, “to devour,” …

FRET definition: to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like. See examples of fret used in a sentence.

fret noun [C] (RAISED BAR) a thin, slightly raised metal bar, several of which are positioned across the neck (= long, narrow part) of some musical instruments, such as a guitar

If you fret about something, you worry about it. I was working all hours and constantly fretting about everyone else's problems. [V + about/over] But congressional staffers fret that the …

1. to feel or express worry, annoyance, discontent, or the like. 2. to cause corrosion; gnaw into something: acids that fret at the strongest metals.

Definition of fret verb in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.

Dec 25, 2025 · fret (third-person singular simple present frets, present participle fretting, simple past and past participle fretted) To bind, to tie, originally with a loop or ring.

fret meaning, definition, what is fret: to worry about something, especially whe...: Learn more.

It turned out that it was nothing to fret about/over. Don't get in (such) a fret! We won't miss the plane.

When you fret, you worry so much about something that it eats away at you. Many people fret about taking standardized tests, but really, they're nothing to sweat.