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• front
  front

  noun

  the foremost part or surface of anything.
• front.
  front.

  abbreviation

  frontispiece.

front

¹ American  

[fruhnt] / frʌnt /

noun

• fronts
  plural

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.

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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)

• fronts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fronted,
  past participle,  past
• fronting
  present participle

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)

• fronts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• fronted,
  past participle,  past
• fronting
  present participle

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!

idioms

1. 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.

2. up front,

   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.

3. 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.

4. in front, in a forward place or position.

   Sit down, you in front!

front. ² American  

abbreviation

1. frontispiece.

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front. ¹ British  

abbreviation

1. frontispiece

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front ² British  

/ 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. 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

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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. at an advantage, outclassing and outmanoeuvring one's opponents

verb

1. 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 to appear (at)

   to front up at the police station

front Scientific  

/ 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 occluded front polar front stationary front warm front

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front Cultural  

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.

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front More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing front

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

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Discover More

Fronts usually produce unstable weather.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• frontless
  adjective
• unfronted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• fronts
  plural

Participles

• fronting
  present
• fronted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• front
  simple
• fronts
  simple
• have fronted
  perfect
• has fronted
  perfect
• am fronting
  progressive
• are fronting
  progressive
• is fronting
  progressive
• have been fronting
  perfect progressive
• has been fronting
  perfect progressive

Past

• fronted
  simple
• had fronted
  perfect
• was fronting
  progressive
• were fronting
  progressive
• had been fronting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will front
  simple
• will have fronted
  perfect
• will be fronting
  progressive
• will have been fronting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of front

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

Explanation

The front is the side that faces outward. If you are in a battle on the eastern front, then you are in the battle the farthest east of any part of the war. Front comes from the Latin word for forehead, and it means the side of something facing out, or the part of something (a body, a weather system, a war), that's advancing into a new territory, or frontier. A front man is someone used as a cover for questionable activity. Similarly, a front can be an activity used as a cover for some other, questionable, activity, like a Laundromat that's really a front for a mafia headquarters.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

front front. fronts fronted fronting

The same image is front and centre of the Times, which reports the "apparently sophisticated nature of the plot" caught police and security services by surprise.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Broncos replied with quarterback Bo Nix reaching into the endzone after another long drive to put the hosts back in front.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

After rallying briefly, the Rams could not hold off the Broncos in a 30-26 defeat in front of 76,633 at Empower Field at Mile High.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026

The Lakers have added more than 15 people in the front office, Pelinka said, including Rohan Ramadas and Eric Amsler in new assistant general manager positions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026

Knight and squire rode peacefully for a while, until they saw a gang of twelve chained men coming in their direction, with two guards in front and two in back.

From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios

"He had two big guys up front. That was an unbelievable team. He's not got those players that probably can be suited to a 3-5-2."

From BBC ● Sep. 19, 2026

“Because the chemistry of playing with each other, kind of learning how each other rush, how each other play, not just Myles, just the whole front. ... It’s exciting.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

Speaking at a ground-breaking ceremony in Sinaloa, Johnson said, “We may soon see significant action on this front. So, stay tuned.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 29, 2026

"Massive. Newcastle is an incredible team, awesome in physicality and speed they have up front. Physicality in the middle. Really tough but the team was unbelievable," he said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026

“That’s Mike Costello’s brother in front. His name’s Joey. Go ahead, Paul, catch up to them. Teach them a few things.”

From "Tangerine" by Edward Bloor

Result: Success for the Ellisons on all fronts.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026

In that, it completely lives up to her promises, taking the route of a more traditional pop song, while still delivering on all fronts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026

Readings of market breadth, which take into account how the majority of stocks are performing, rather than just those in major indexes, are negative on many fronts.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 18, 2026

The United States military is at the centre of a fight on two fronts.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

He’d counted that morning, and memorized where they were—tall square cases made of dark wood, with glass sides and fronts and velvet-covered shelves, made for displaying valuable objects of porcelain or ivory or gold.

From "The Subtle Knife" by Philip Pullman

Aggrey recalled a time in 2015 when he wasn’t able to afford both the taxes on those options and rent, and his roommate fronted him $200.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

And while soccer remains her main duty, she has also covered the Kentucky Derby numerous times and has fronted NBC’s coverage of the last seven Olympics.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

The superhero film fronted by Tom Holland and real-life wife Zendaya has brought in more than $2 billion globally since its July 31 release, according to industry watcher Exhibitor Relations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

In recent years, as well as writing and presenting documentaries for Radio 4, Stourton fronted the network's religious affairs programme, Sunday, as well as regularly hosting The World At One and The World This Weekend.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

Mr. Dalton came forward a step, and fronted Jan. “You and I don’t agree. Let’s forget that. I want to know where my daughter is. . . .”

From "Native Son" by Richard Wright

Saudi Arabian promoter Sela is fronting the bill for the prospective Joshua-Fury fight, with both men signing separate contracts with the company.

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

Morrissey speaks of visiting New York punk club CBGB's and attempting to join The Clash, and becoming the vocalist with Manchester punk band The Nosebleeds - his first experience fronting a band.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

It is a lesson in contrasts—hard geometries and muted hues fronting loose forms and cheerful colors—that evinces the influence of Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard on his work.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

This includes Dolan’s fronting of an embarrassing blues-rock band, often while sporting a fedora, and he inflicts his music on audiences by installing himself as the opener for acts like the Eagles.

From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026

They knew I knew they'd been fronting this whole time.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• facade
• face
• façade
• front line
• head
• top