fret

About 0.98 uses per million words.

Meaning

1. verb Especially when describing animals: to consume, devour, or eat.
2. verb To chafe or irritate; to worry.
3. verb To make rough, to agitate or disturb; to cause to ripple.

   the brooks fretting down their channels

4. verb In the form fret out: to squander, to waste.
5. verb To gnaw; to consume, to eat away.
6. verb To mine by agitating or eating away at (ore in the bank of a river).
7. verb To be chafed or irritated; to be angry or vexed; to utter peevish expressions through irritation or worry.
8. verb To be worn away; to chafe; to fray.

   A wristband frets on the edges.

Similar words

eat away eat into rub chafe erode scratch lather sweat choke gag

Often followed by

and about over of not at the or yourself

Word family

fretless frets fretted fretting