friction
Americannoun
-
Physics. surface resistance to relative motion, as of a body sliding or rolling.
-
the rubbing of the surface of one body against that of another.
Rubber on pavement has more friction than steel wheel on steel rail.
-
dissension or conflict between people, nations, etc., because of differing ideas, wishes, etc..
Friction between family members can escalate during a heat wave, as extreme weather can cause tempers to fray.
- Synonyms:
- contention, antagonism, clash, dissidence, discord
noun
-
a resistance encountered when one body moves relative to another body with which it is in contact
-
the act, effect, or an instance of rubbing one object against another
-
disagreement or conflict; discord
-
phonetics the hissing element of a speech sound, such as a fricative
-
perfumed alcohol used on the hair to stimulate the scalp
-
A force on objects or substances in contact with each other that resists motion of the objects or substances relative to each other.
-
◆ Static friction arises between two objects that are not in motion with respect to each other, as for example between a cement block and a wooden floor. It increases to counterbalance forces that would move the objects, up to a certain maximum level of force, at which point the objects will begin moving. It is measured as the maximum force the bodies will sustain before motion occurs.
-
◆ Kinetic friction arises between bodies that are in motion with respect to each other, as for example the force that works against sliding a cement block along a wooden floor. Between two hard surfaces, the kinetic friction is usually somewhat lower than the static friction, meaning that more force is required to set the objects in motion than to keep them in motion.
-
See also drag
Other Word Forms
- frictional adjective
- frictionless adjective
- frictionlessly adverb
- interfriction noun
- nonfriction noun
- self-friction noun
Etymology
Origin of friction
First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin frictiōn-, stem of frictiō “a rubbing,” from frict(us) “rubbed” (past participle of fricāre “to rub”) + -iō -ion
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The area of greatest friction was nuclear weapons.
From BBC
Residents paid it in housing costs, in taxes and in the costs of commuting or other frictions of day-to-day life.
Many investing theories look great on paper, where taxes, fees and other frictions don’t exist.
“This guidance for 2026 is meant to fix that issue through an abundance of experimentation and reduced friction for users to have a better experience,” he added, cutting his price target to $85 from $170.
From Barron's
“Unfortunately, we believe that this extra friction is part of the reason our DAU growth has slowed, so we’ve decided to prioritize user growth over monetization.”
From MarketWatch
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
