frays

Noun (1)

fray (plural frays)

1. (archaic, intransitive, obsolete) A consequence of rubbing, unravelling, or wearing away; a fraying; also, a place where fraying has occurred.
   • The laces frayed at the cut end.

   Synonyms:

   frazzle

Noun (2)

fray (countable and uncountable, plural frays)

1. (archaic, countable, obsolete) A noisy commotion, especially resulting from fighting; a brawl, a fight; also, a loud quarrel.
   • Though they did not know the reason for the dispute, they did not hesitate to leap into the fray.
2. (archaic, countable, figuratively, obsolete) A heated argument; a war of words.
3. (archaic, obsolete, uncountable) Conflict, disagreement.
   • It is the chafing of the lion, and the stirring of the viper, that aggravates the danger; the first blow makes the wrong, but the second makes the fray; and they that will endure no kind of abuse in state or church, are many times more dangerous than that abuse which they oppose.a. 1632 (date written), John Donne, “Sermon XCIX. Preached at Lincoln’s Inn. The Second Sermon on Matthew xviii. 7.”, in Henry Alford, editor, The Works of John Donne, D.D., […], volume IV, London...
4. (archaic, countable, obsolete) An assault or attack.

   Synonyms:

   affray

5. (archaic, countable, obsolete) A loud noise; a cacophony, a din.
   • Where window is open, cat maketh a fray, / yet wilde cat with two legs is worse by my fay.1878, Thomas Tusser, “Huswifely Admonitions”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam]...

See all 23 meanings of fray