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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Twenty-two states had also entered the fray, filing a support brief on Wednesday, which supported the state’s appeal.
—Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Todd Rogers, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
About eight or nine hours into a punishing shoot, nerves were fraying, and Mike McGuirk was getting chewed out by a camera operator.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fray
Noun
Adding the 6-foot-5 Lazard into the fray would make Pittsburgh's aerial attack that much more intriguing and would provide Rodgers with a familiar weapon.
—Matthew Schmidt, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Sep. 2025
Twenty-two states had also entered the fray, filing a support brief on Wednesday, which supported the state’s appeal.
—Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
Advertisement Sports fandom has a special power to connect people, especially at a time when so many of our traditional civic bonds are fraying.
—Todd Rogers, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
About eight or nine hours into a punishing shoot, nerves were fraying, and Mike McGuirk was getting chewed out by a camera operator.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 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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Chinese policymakers have intensified efforts aimed at reining in excessive price cuts that have eroded corporate profits while doing little to spur demand.—
Anniek Bao,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
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Higher prices risk eroding consumers’ purchasing power, and for those living paycheck to paycheck this can be quite painful.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The combination of strange comments, a clear lack of education and experience, and a disturbing personal history with mental health struggles and domestic problems doomed his campaign.—
Kimberly Ross,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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Appreciation means valuing the struggle of learning, not despite its difficulty but because of it.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Those clashes became viral videos that cemented his reputation as a culture warrior.—
Samantha-Jo Roth,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
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On November 25, the La Liga holders travel to Stamford Bridge for a mouthwatering clash with the reigning Club World Cup kings.—
Tom Sanderson,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The photo released shows what appears to be a man wearing a largely black outfit with an American flag on his shirt, a black cap, and black sunglasses.—
Connor Greene,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
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Posing next to Colman Domingo and Salma Hayek Pinault (who wore an elegant black Balenciaga suit dress), Moore’s glitzy look shone.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
12 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 17 Sep. 2025.
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