frontline

American  

[fruhnt-lahyn] / ˈfrʌntˌlaɪn /

Or front-line

adjective

1. located or designed to be used at a military front line.

   a frontline ambulance helicopter.

2. of, relating to, or involving the forefront in any action, activity, or field.

   a frontline TV reporter.

3. highly experienced or proficient in the performance of one's duties.

4. of or relating to essential work that depends on in-person interactions and may involve some risk, especially policing, healthcare, emergency services, public transit, grocery, warehouse, and delivery work.

   Congress is taking up a bill that would guarantee sick leave and hazard pay to frontline workers.

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Etymology

Origin of frontline

First recorded in 1910–15; front (in the military sense) + line ¹ ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

frontline

Ukrainian ground robots had also completed roughly 112,000 frontline missions by August.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Much of the outrage in Ukraine this week has been over restrictions to the Starshield satellite communications system that its military relies upon to detect incoming Russian attacks and to coordinate its frontline response.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

For Pacific nations, hosting the preliminary talks in their region offers an opportunity to draw the world's attention to life on the frontline of climate change.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

First Minister John Swinney unveiled the plan a month ago, saying it would streamline management and free up resources for frontline care.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

In addition to being disappointed that they weren’t flying into battle, the young pilots didn’t like the food at their new air base—they knew that frontline soldiers were getting better rations than they were.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein

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