upfront
Britishadjective
adverb
Explanation
If you're an open and straightforward person, you're upfront. And if your cousin asks what you think of his weird new haircut, you'll be upfront with him and tell the truth. If you prefer being flattered, you might not appreciate your brother's upfront pronouncement that your new pants are way too small or you've got spinach in your teeth. But most of us like knowing that our friends are being upfront and honest with us. Another way to use this adjective is to mean "in advance" when you're talking about a payment: "She wants the cash upfront, before she hands over the cupcakes."
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.
"I like to think I've got some personality myself and I'll just, you know, I'll deal with him very upfront in the same way," Burnham said.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The London-listed drugmaker on Tuesday said it would make an upfront payment of $600 million, as well as additional payments of up to $900 million upon reaching specific milestones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Wood thinks it’s also worth noting that the pick and shovel stocks are getting their earnings from the capex boom upfront.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 10, 2026
Cook argues that stamp duty is a simple tax because it's levied on the point of sale of a property and generates "upfront receipts" for the Treasury.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
“Was that yours? The undertaker wouldn’t take poor Rose without having half the cost upfront, and I knew that Rose kept some petty cash here for the household.”
From "Ophie's Ghosts" by Justina Ireland
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.
