front

¹

[ fruhnt ]

noun

1. the foremost part or surface of anything.
2. the part or side of anything that faces forward:

   the front of a jacket.

3. the part or side of anything, as a building, that seems to look out or to be directed forward:

   He sat in the front of the restaurant.

4. any side or face, as of a building.
5. a façade, considered with respect to its architectural treatment or material:

   a cast-iron front.

6. a property line along a street or the like:

   a fifty-foot front.

7. a place or position directly before anything:

   We decided to plant trees in the front.

8. a position of leadership in a particular endeavor or field:

   She rose to the front of her profession.

9. Military.
   1. the foremost line or part of an army.
   2. a line of battle.
   3. the place where combat operations are carried on.
10. an area of activity, conflict, or competition:

    news from the business front.

11. land facing a road, river, etc.
12. British. a promenade along a seashore.
13. Informal. a distinguished person listed as an official of an organization, for the sake of prestige, and who is usually inactive.
14. a person or thing that serves as a cover or disguise for some other activity, especially one of a secret, disreputable, or illegal nature; a blind:

    The store was a front for foreign agents.

15. outward impression of rank, position, or wealth.
16. bearing or demeanor in confronting anything:

    a calm front.

17. haughtiness; self-importance:

    That clerk has the most outrageous front.

18. the forehead, or the entire face:

    the statue's gracefully chiseled front.

19. a coalition or movement to achieve a particular end, usually political:

    the people's front.

20. something attached or worn at the breast, as a shirt front or a dickey:

    to spill gravy down one's front.

21. Meteorology. an interface or zone of transition between two dissimilar air masses.
22. Theater.
    1. the auditorium.
    2. the business offices of a theater.
    3. the front of the stage; downstage.

adjective

1. of or relating to the front.
2. situated in or at the front:

   front seats.

3. Phonetics. (of a speech sound) articulated with the tongue blade relatively far forward in the mouth, as the sounds of lay.

verb (used with object)

1. to have the front toward; face:

   Our house fronts the lake.

2. to meet face to face; confront.
3. to face in opposition, hostility, or defiance.
4. to furnish or supply a front to:

   to front a building with sandstone.

5. to serve as a front to:

   A long, sloping lawn fronted their house.

6. Informal. to provide an introduction to; introduce:

   a recorded message that is fronted with a singing commercial.

7. to lead (a jazz or dance band).
8. Phonetics. to articulate (a speech sound) at a position farther front in the mouth.
9. Linguistics. to move (a constituent) to the beginning of a clause or sentence.

verb (used without object)

1. to have or turn the front in some specified direction:

   Our house fronts on the lake.

2. to serve as a cover or disguise for another activity, especially something of a disreputable or illegal nature:

   The shop fronts for a narcotics ring.

interjection

1. (used to call or command someone to come, look, etc., to the front, as in an order to troops on parade or in calling a hotel bellboy to the front desk):

   Front and center, on the double!

front.

²

abbreviation for

1. frontispiece.

front.

¹

abbreviation for

1. frontispiece

front

²

/ frʌnt /

noun

1. that part or side that is forward, prominent, or most often seen or used
2. a position or place directly before or ahead

   a fountain stood at the front of the building

3. the beginning, opening, or first part

   the front of the book

4. the position of leadership; forefront; vanguard

   in the front of scientific knowledge

5. land bordering a lake, street, etc
6. land along a seashore or large lake, esp a promenade
7. military
   1. the total area in which opposing armies face each other
   2. the lateral space in which a military unit or formation is operating

      to advance on a broad front

   3. the direction in which troops are facing when in a formed line
8. See cold front, warm front
   meteorol the dividing line or plane between two air masses or water masses of different origins and having different characteristics See also warm front cold front
9. outward aspect or bearing, as when dealing with a situation

   a bold front

10. assurance, overconfidence, or effrontery
11. informal.
    a business or other activity serving as a respectable cover for another, usually criminal, organization
12. a nominal leader of an organization, etc, who lacks real power or authority; figurehead
13. informal.
    outward appearance of rank or wealth
14. a particular field of activity involving some kind of struggle

    on the wages front

15. a group of people with a common goal

    a national liberation front

16. a false shirt front; a dicky
17. archaic.
    the forehead or the face

adjective

1. of, at, or in the front

   a front seat

2. phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a vowel articulated with the blade of the tongue brought forward and raised towards the hard palate, as for the sound of ee in English see or a in English hat
3. on the front foot
   on the front foot at an advantage, outclassing and outmanoeuvring one's opponents

verb

1. whenintr, foll by on or onto to be opposite (to); face (onto)

   this house fronts the river

2. tr to be a front of or for
3. informal.
   tr to appear as a presenter in (a television show)
4. tr to be the lead singer or player in (a band)
5. tr to confront, esp in hostility or opposition
6. tr to supply a front for
7. informal.
   introften foll byup to appear (at)

   to front up at the police station

front

/ frŭnt /

1. The boundary between two air masses that have different temperatures or humidity. In the mid-latitude areas of the Earth, where warm tropical air meets cooler polar air, the systems of fronts define the weather and often cause precipitation to form. Warm air, being lighter than cold air, tends to rise, cool, and condense along such boundaries, forming rain or snow.
2. See also cold front

front

1. In meteorology , the line that forms the boundary between two air masses. Unless they are very similar in temperature and humidity , they will not mix.

Notes

Fronts usually produce unstable weather .

Derived Forms

• ˈfrontless, adjective

Other Words From

• un·fronted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of front¹

1250–1300; Middle English frount, front < Anglo-French, Old French < Latin front- (stem of frōns ) forehead, brow, front

Word History and Origins

Origin of front¹

C13 (in the sense: forehead, face): from Latin frōns forehead, foremost part

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. in front of,
   1. ahead of:

      to walk in front of a moving crowd.

   2. outside the entrance of:

      to wait in front of a house.

   3. in the presence of:

      to behave badly in front of company.

2. in front, in a forward place or position:

   Sit down, you in front!

3. out front,
   1. outside the entrance:

      He's waiting out front.

   2. ahead of competitors:

      This advertising campaign ought to put our business way out front.

   3. Theater. in the audience or auditorium.
   4. Informal. candidly; frankly:

      Say what you mean out front.

4. up front, Informal.
   1. in advance; before anything else:

      You'll have to make a payment of $5,000 up front.

   2. frank; open; direct:

      I want you to be up front with me.

More idioms and phrases containing front

• brave face (front)
• in front of
• out front
• up front

Example Sentences

In front of this strange structure are two blank-faced, well-dressed models showing off the latest in European minimalism.

From The Daily Beast

As the protagonist gets herself off in front of her impotent husband, she moans “Oh, Gronky.”

From The Daily Beast

Granted, James is in an office in the Pentagon, and not on the front lines.

From The Daily Beast

The next phase of the trial consists of vaccinating Ebola workers on the front lines.

From The Daily Beast

Hmm, who are these people standing in front of the machines at the gym, neither occupying them nor not occupying them?

From The Daily Beast

Off went the officers again, some distance to the front, and then back again to their men, and got them on a little further.

From Project Gutenberg

The doors (Indian bungalows have hardly any windows, each door being half glass) were open front and back.

From Project Gutenberg

She got up and stood in front of the fire, having her hand on the chimney-piece and looking down at the blaze.

From Project Gutenberg

Then they all passed out through the great front door to the wide old veranda.

From Project Gutenberg

He saw a large building, in front of which were long, slender strips of shining steel.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• frontal