1. adj. denoting a speech sound made by forcing a stream of air through a narrow opening of the vocal tract against one or more surfaces, particularly the hard palate, alveolar ridge, teeth, or lips. A fricative has high-frequency vibrations. It may be voiced (e.g., [v], [z], [zh]) or unvoiced (e.g., [f], [s], [sh]).

2. n. a fricative speech sound.