Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Affray
Af-fray′
,Verb.
T.
[
p. p.
Affrayed
.] [OE.
afraien
, affraien
, OF. effreer
, esfreer
, F. effrayer
, orig. to disquiet, put out of peace, fr. L. ex
+ OHG. fridu
peace (akin to E. free
). Cf. Afraid
, Fray
, Frith
inclosure.] [Archaic]
1.
To startle from quiet; to alarm.
Smale foules a great heap
That had
That had
afrayed
[affrayed] me out of my sleep. Chaucer.
2.
To frighten; to scare; to frighten away.
That voice doth us
affray
. Shakespeare
1.
The act of suddenly disturbing any one; an assault or attack.
[Obs.]
2.
Alarm; terror; fright.
[Obs.]
Spenser.
3.
A tumultuous assault or quarrel; a brawl; a fray.
“In the very midst of the affray.” Motley.
4.
(Law)
The fighting of two or more persons, in a public place, to the terror of others.
Blackstone.
☞ A fighting in private is not, in a legal sense, an affray.
Syn. – Quarrel; brawl; scuffle; encounter; fight; contest; feud; tumult; disturbance.
Webster 1828 Edition
Affray
AFFRA'Y
,Definition 2025
affray
affray
English
Noun
affray (plural affrays)
- The act of suddenly disturbing any one; an assault or attack.
- A 22-year-old man was also arrested in connection with the incident for affray towards attending paramedics.
- A tumultuous assault or quarrel.
- The fighting of two or more persons, in a public place, to the terror of others.
- The affray in the busy marketplace caused great terror and disorder.
Translations
a sudden assault or quarrel
Synonyms
Verb
affray (third-person singular simple present affrays, present participle affraying, simple past and past participle affrayed)
- To startle from quiet; to alarm.
- Chaucer
- Smale foules a great heap / That had afrayed [affrayed] me out of my sleep.
- Chaucer
- To frighten; to scare; to frighten away.
- Shakespeare
- That voice doth us affray.
- Shakespeare