fringe

1 of 2

noun

ˈfrinj 

often attributive

1

: an ornamental border consisting of short straight or twisted threads or strips hanging from cut or raveled edges or from a separate band

a lampshade with a fringe

2

a

: something resembling a fringe : edge, periphery

—often used in plural

operated on the fringes of the law

working for years on the fringes of the entertainment industry

b

chiefly British : bang entry 4

wears her hair in a fringe

c

: one of various light or dark bands produced by the interference or diffraction of light

d

: an area bordering a putting green on a golf course with grass trimmed longer than on the green itself

3

a

: something that is marginal, additional, or secondary to some activity, process, or subject

a fringe sport

b

: a group with marginal or extremist views

the politically conservative fringe

c

: fringe benefit

fringy

ˈfrin-jē 

adjective

fringe

2 of 2

verb

fringed; fringing ˈfrin-jiŋ 

transitive verb

1

: to furnish or adorn with a fringe

2

: to serve as a fringe for : border

Synonyms

Noun

• border
• borderline
• bound
• boundary
• brim
• circumference
• compass
• confines
• edge
• edging
• end
• frame
• hem
• margin
• perimeter
• periphery
• rim
• skirt
• skirting
• verge

Verb

• abut
• adjoin
• border (on)
• butt (on or against)
• flank
• join
• march (with)
• neighbor
• skirt
• touch
• verge (on)

Examples of fringe in a Sentence

Noun

a lampshade with a fringe

a fringe of moss around the tree

a party on the political fringe

Verb

A jungle fringed the shore.

the orchestral pit fringed the edge of the stage

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Many soft pixies feature this sort of face-framing detail, such as curtain bangs or a fuller fringe. —Hannah Coates, Vogue, 26 Nov. 2024

While crypto projects have experimented with adding crypto tokens to repository contributions or rewarding maintainers of key open-source libraries, this has been mostly a fringe phenomenon. —Christian Catalini, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

Verb

Washington’s three-game losing streak has taken them from NFC title contention to fringe postseason territory. —Kambui Bomani, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Kacey Musgraves is decked in denim and fringe at the 2024 CMA Awards. —Chiara Kim, People.com, 21 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English frenge, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *frimbia, from Latin fimbriae (plural)

Verb

verbal derivative of fringe entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fringe

• fringe area
• fringe benefit
• fringe tree
• lunatic fringe
• on the fringe(s)

Kids Definition

fringe

1 of 2 noun

ˈfrinj 

1

: an ornamental border consisting of hanging threads or strips

2

: something suggesting a fringe

lived on the fringe of the forest

fringe

2 of 2 verb

fringed; fringing

1

: to provide or decorate with a fringe

fringed a buckskin jacket

2

: to serve as a fringe for : border

a jungle fringed the shore

Medical Definition

fringe

noun

ˈfrinj 

often attributive

: one of various light or dark bands produced by the interference or diffraction of light