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
John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
Also joining the fray last week was artificial intelligence search engine startup Perplexity AI, which has put in a bid to ByteDance to merge with TikTok.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2025
Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
While Altman’s relationship with Musk has frayed, Altman still has ties to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a big Trump supporter, which has helped his standing with the president’s team, the source said.
—Kate Rooney, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fray 
Noun
Along the way, Glenn and Rachel’s teen daughter Abby, away at school, gets pulled into the fray, ultimately becoming an invaluable part of the effort to save Rachel and stop the criminals from a truly dastardly deed.
—John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 25 Jan. 2025
Also joining the fray last week was artificial intelligence search engine startup Perplexity AI, which has put in a bid to ByteDance to merge with TikTok.
—Angela Yang, NBC News, 22 Jan. 2025
Verb
Their relationship frayed amid Rocky’s rise to fame.
—Jonathan Abrams, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025
While Altman’s relationship with Musk has frayed, Altman still has ties to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, a big Trump supporter, which has helped his standing with the president’s team, the source said.
—Kate Rooney, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for fray
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fray
Noun
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The podcast's release comes amid Baldoni's ongoing legal battle with Lively.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
11 Feb. 2025
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O'Toole is overseeing the legal battle over Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's death sentence.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The move immediately became a key skirmish in Mr. Musk’s wider war on the federal bureaucracy.—
Chris Cameron,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2025
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The development is just the latest skirmish in a decades-long war that cyclists have waged to legally ride the trails in mountain biking’s birthplace.—
Maureen Gaffney,
Outside Online,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Inside the bare-knuckle legal brawl between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2025
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Also previously sentenced for their roles in the brawl were Kelvin Servita Arocha, 20, Darwin Gomez, 30, and Yorman Reveron, 25.—
Elizabeth Keogh,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Some industry leaders likewise wonder whether the Swiss Made label has begun to erode the very trust it was intended to secure, but few if any brands are actively clarifying their practices in marketing materials.—
Allen Farmelo,
Robb Report,
17 Feb. 2025
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Any government efforts to erode this fundamental freedom deserve condemnation.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
14 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The rampant bird flu's effect on egg prices, her own gout struggle and microplastics.—
Lindsay Kimble,
People.com,
17 Feb. 2025
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Volpe immersed herself in research before making the film, accompanying nurses on hospital shifts to understand their daily struggles.—
Callum McLennan,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Noun
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That grievance total was the second-highest tally since 2016, according to a USA TODAY Network analysis, suggesting current economic conditions and corporate policies are fueling more clashes over insurance coverage.—
David Robinson,
USA TODAY,
7 Feb. 2025
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Members of the Congolese Red Cross and civil protection workers bury dozens of victims of the recent clashes at a cemetery in Goma on Tuesday.—
Reuters,
NBC News,
6 Feb. 2025
Verb
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As the United States waged war in Vietnam in the 1960s, the Supreme Court said a Des Moines high school could not prevent students from wearing black armbands in support of a truce.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA TODAY,
17 Feb. 2025
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Most of the group had covered faces, some wore balaclavas.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Transport boxes, electronic scales and gaffs, sharp blades that can be attached to roosters' legs during fights, were found on the property, the news statement said.—
Kerry Breen,
CBS News,
15 Feb. 2025
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But that message was undermined by his company’s fight against TVC.—
David Zahniser,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near fray
Cite this Entry
“Fray.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fray. Accessed 20 Feb. 2025.
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