Dictionary entry

Fret (3)

Webster's Dictionary 1913

Fret, v. i. 1. To be worn away; to chafe; to fray; as, a wristband frets on the edges.

2. To eat in; to make way by corrosion.

Many wheals arose, and fretted one into another with great excoriation. Wiseman.

3. To be agitated; to be in violent commotion; to rankle; as, rancor frets in the malignant breast.

4. To be vexed; to be chafed or irritated; to be angry; to utter peevish expressions.

He frets, he fumes, he stares, he stamps the ground. Dryden.