Library / English Dictionary

FRILL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Ornamental objects of no great value

Synonyms:

falderol; folderal; frill; gimcrack; gimcrackery; nonsense; trumpery

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("frill" is a kind of...):

decoration; ornament; ornamentation (something used to beautify)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim

Synonyms:

flounce; frill; furbelow; ruffle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("frill" is a kind of...):

adornment (a decoration of color or interest that is added to relieve plainness)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "frill"):

gauffer; goffer (an ornamental frill made by pressing pleats)

jabot (a ruffle on the front of a woman's blouse or a man's shirt)

peplum (a flared ruffle attached to the waistline of a dress or jacket or blouse)

Derivation:

frilly (having decorative ruffles or frills)

Sense 3

Meaning:

An external body part consisting of feathers or hair about the neck of a bird or other animal

Synonyms:

frill; ruff

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("frill" is a kind of...):

external body part (any body part visible externally)

Sense 4

Meaning:

(paleontology) a bony plate that curves upward behind the skull of many ceratopsian dinosaurs

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("frill" is a kind of...):

plate (any flat platelike body structure or part)

Domain category:

fossilology; palaeontology; paleontology (the earth science that studies fossil organisms and related remains)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Present simple (first person singular and plural, second person singular and plural, third person plural) of the verb frill

Credits

 Context examples: 

They were dressed alike, but this sister wore her dress with a more youthful air than the other; and perhaps had a trifle more frill, or tucker, or brooch, or bracelet, or some little thing of that kind, which made her look more lively.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

So Meg went away to 'accept with thanks', look over her dress, and sing blithely as she did up her one real lace frill, while Jo finished her story, her four apples, and had a game of romps with Scrabble.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)