What does fret mean?
To fret is to worry persistently or to be agitated, typically over matters that are small, uncertain, or beyond one's control. A person who frets dwells anxiously on problems rather than addressing them, which is why the word often carries a gently critical tone — parents may tell children not to fret, and friends reassure one another against fretting over delays or setbacks. The verb has an older, physical sense as well: to fret can mean to gnaw at or gradually wear something away, as water frets a riverbank or acid frets stone. As a noun, fret refers to the raised metal strips on the fingerboard of a guitar or similar instrument, which divide it into fixed positions for the fingers; by extension, fretwork describes ornamental openwork patterns. This blend of meanings makes fret unusually versatile: a single word covering anxiety, erosion, and the anatomy of a guitar.
To worry, be anxious, or feel continual unease, especially about something trivial or uncontrollable.
"He fretted for days before the results were announced."
Often used in the reassuring imperative form "don't fret."
To gnaw at, corrode, or wear away a surface or material.
"Years of damp had fretted the iron railings into flaking rust."
One of the metal strips set across the fingerboard of a guitar, lute, or similar instrument, marking positions where fingers press strings to change pitch.
"A worn fret can cause buzzing anywhere along the neck."
A state of irritation or agitation; also, decorative openwork carving or design known as fretwork.
"She was in quite a fret waiting for the phone to ring."
Applies to the noun senses: guitars have multiple frets, and multiple instances of agitation could be described as frets, though the latter is rare.
"The technician replaced all twenty-two frets on the guitar."
"Fret" didn't always mean to worry — in Old English it meant to devour or gnaw something away, so when you fret, you're literally eating yourself up.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fret
The verb traces back to Old English fretan, meaning "to devour or eat up," formed from the Germanic prefix fra- combined with the root behind "eat." Over the medieval period the eating-away sense shifted figuratively toward worry and vexation, so that fretting became a matter of the mind gnawing at itself. The noun fret, used for the ridges on stringed instruments and for ornamental openwork, has a separate origin, generally traced through Old French frete or freteure, though its ultimate source is uncertain. Cognates of the verb survive in continental Germanic languages, such as Dutch vreten and German fressen, which retain the older "devour" meaning.
Related word forms
How fret is actually used
As a verb of emotion, fret carries a mildly negative connotation and often implies unproductive or excessive worry rather than serious concern; it appears in both everyday speech and more formal writing. The phrase "don't fret" is a common reassuring idiom. The noun senses are narrower: guitar frets are familiar to musicians, while "fret" as a state of agitation is somewhat dated.
Easily confused with fret
Freight means goods transported in bulk; fret means to worry or, on instruments like guitars, a small metal ridge along the fingerboard.