1
as in battle
a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective
another generation of scientists entered the fray to find a cure for AIDS
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2
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
a troubled youth always getting into frays at school
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in brawl
a rough and often noisy fight usually involving several people
school officials broke up the fray and gave all guilty parties detention
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as in to erode
to damage or diminish by continued friction
constant rubbing against the rock face has badly frayed our climbing rope
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fray
Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
The Philippines is a mutual defense ally of the United States, meaning serious clashes between Beijing and Manila could quickly spiral into something that drags the US military into the fray.
—Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
What was once envisioned as a vital partnership of the 21st century is fraying—and becoming another source of uncertainty in a world order that seems to be unraveling.
—Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fray
Noun
On Friday, Swift’s lawyer stepped into the fray to set the record straight, refuting the claim that his client had agreed to answer questions under oath.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2025
The Philippines is a mutual defense ally of the United States, meaning serious clashes between Beijing and Manila could quickly spiral into something that drags the US military into the fray.
—Nectar Gan, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
The magic is the result of long-staple cotton threads that are less likely to fray and feel rough to the touch.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 11 Sep. 2025
What was once envisioned as a vital partnership of the 21st century is fraying—and becoming another source of uncertainty in a world order that seems to be unraveling.
—Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fray
Noun
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Republicans were unfazed by Democrats threatening to withhold their votes, accusing them of hypocrisy for condemning GOP efforts to win policy concessions in past funding battles.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
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The iconic items fit well in this book given how many Avengers don’t feel complete without a gadget or mystical item to carry into battle.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Still one of the NFL’s nastiest division rivalries, the game was full of skirmishes and a near-costly unnecessary roughness penalty late in the third against the Eagles that put the Cowboys in position to take the lead.—
Dan Gelston,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Ideological skirmishes over the motives and obligations of Carpenter’s music include both sincere interrogation of its feminism and smirking counteractive reprisals to that scrutiny.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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But Cherry interrupts their twosome and a brawl ensues.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Months before at the same campus, a 100-person brawl had led to the cancelation of an event featuring another Turning Point USA speaker.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For capital-intensive industries, that volatility erodes the policy stability required for long-term investment, adding another layer of uncertainty to already fragile markets.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
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But the brand’s relationship with Unilever eroded over the years.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Friction is the artist's struggle, the mentor's challenge, and the co-founder's disagreement.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Those struggles compounded during an alarming first half last season, spurring former coach Peter Laviolette to try something new.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The real clash with liberals is not over how big government should be, but over what the state should be empowered to do.—
Allan J. Lichtman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Their violent clash of characters in the Marvel series, which has been a solid performer on Disney+, underpinned the original Netflix action series.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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So…are the long-wearing claims actually true?—
Lily Wohlner,
Allure,
19 Sep. 2025
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The Body After detectives discovered Rivas’ body, a report from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner described her as a female with wavy black hair wearing a tube top and black leggings, size small, as well as yellow metal-stud earrings and a yellow metal-chain bracelet.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Yet two of the first three weekends on CU’s fight card have resembled the Kansas and Kansas State losses of 2024.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
13 Sep. 2025
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Naoya Inoue, who is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters and 30-0, is defending his super bantamweight title on Sunday in Japan, just hours after Álvarez and Crawford fight.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
13 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fray. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.
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