TOP

Definition of fray noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

fray

noun
 
/freɪ/
 
/freɪ/
the fray
[singular]
jump to other results
  1. a fight, a competition or an argument, especially one that is exciting or seen as a test of your ability
    • They were ready for the fray.
    • to enter/join the fray
    • At 71, he has now retired from the political fray.
    Topics Opinion and argumentc2
    Word Originnoun late Middle English: from archaic fray ‘to quarrel’, from affray ‘startle’, from Anglo-Norman French afrayer ‘disturb, startle’, based on an element of Germanic origin related to Old English frithu ‘peace, safety’.
See fray in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: fray

Nearby words

previously
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
B1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day