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
Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 May 2025
Managing to directly stay out the Lively-Baldoni fray (though not the tabloids’ speculations of the state of Lively-Swift friendship) until recently, the controversy adverse Swift was quick to slap down the subpoena Baldoni’s team served on her at the beginning of this month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 May 2025
Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 23 May 2025
China’s trump card: rare earths There are signs that the Beijing-Washington détente is already fraying.
—Grady McGregor, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fray
Noun
Yet three years before Enzo joined the competitive fray under his own surname, the Maserati brothers banded together to enter their Tipo 26 in the 1926 Targa Florio endurance test.
—Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 May 2025
Managing to directly stay out the Lively-Baldoni fray (though not the tabloids’ speculations of the state of Lively-Swift friendship) until recently, the controversy adverse Swift was quick to slap down the subpoena Baldoni’s team served on her at the beginning of this month.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 May 2025
Verb
Business news roundup Ties between the two governments have been fraying amid tariffs, tech restrictions, and growing talk of economic decoupling.
—Shannon Carroll, Quartz, 23 May 2025
China’s trump card: rare earths There are signs that the Beijing-Washington détente is already fraying.
—Grady McGregor, New York Times, 21 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for fray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fray
Noun
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As a 60-person battle royale, matches can be extremely long and, in tournament play, repeat over and over for hours until a winning team can be crowned.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2025
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It’s been a tough week for lovers of battle royale games on mobile.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Past skirmishes with Pakistan had allowed Modi to construct a triumphalist narrative of strength that played to his domestic audience.—
Vaibhav Vats,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2025
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Türkiye has been vocal about its support for Pakistan in the wake of the border skirmishes, and India has severed ties with several of its businesses and universities.—
Jasreen Mayal Khanna,
AFAR Media,
19 May 2025
Noun
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Authorities attempted to limit the violence on the Seaside Heights boardwalk over the holiday weekend by imposing a 10 p.m. curfew on unaccompanied minors, but the brawls continued anyway, WABC reported.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
26 May 2025
-
No one could agree on whether the brawl of as many as nine young men was limited to fists or if its participants were also kicking and stomping.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 May 2025
Verb
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These changes threaten to erode biodiversity and make survival even harder for freshwater and land turtle populations.—
Dianne Plummer,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
-
Apple might be able to strike a deal with the administration — despite the eroding relationship — or challenge the tariffs in court.—
Kif Leswing,
CNBC,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Barry Keoghan is sharing something deeply personal about his struggle with sobriety.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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But that progress on paper does not mean the struggle is over.—
Danaya Wilson,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Trump tests legal strategies as judges block his policies As the clash becomes a defining moment in the president's second term, conservative activists are pushing Congress to rein in federal judges and pressing Trump to intensify his fight with the courts.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
26 May 2025
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The clash between Villaraigosa’s environmentalist credentials and oil-industry ties surfaced in the governor’s race after Valero announced in late April that its Bay Area refinery would close next year, not long after Phillips 66 said its Wilmington refinery would close in 2025.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2025
Verb
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For their big milestone, the twins wore dark blue caps and gowns with matching white asymmetrical cocktail dresses underneath, posing for photos with their classmates, friends and family members while holding flowers and their diplomas.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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And thanks to Crocs’ waterproof material and ventilation ports, my kids wear them in the pool shower and during the car ride home without ever taking them off.—
Laura Lu,
Parents,
23 May 2025
Noun
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The awards ceremony reception was being held outdoors when the fight between two adults led to the stabbing, a Fort Worth ISD spokesperson said in a statement.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
22 May 2025
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Even when cases of public console hacking have led to protracted legal fights—such as George Hotz's saga with the PS3 or Team Xecuter's Switch jailbreaks—console makers don't seem to have used technical means to completely disable offline functions for specific consoles.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
22 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fray. Accessed 2 Jun. 2025.
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