front line
Americannoun
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Military. front.
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the place where in-person essential work is carried out, especially in jobs that may involve some risk, as in policing, healthcare, emergency services, public transit, grocery, warehouse, and delivery work.
Our bookstore extends a discount to all the teachers, aides, specialists, librarians, and therapists who are on the front line serving our children in schools every day.
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the visible forefront in any action, activity, or field.
TV reporters are constantly involved in the front line of events.
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Football. front four.
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Basketball. front court.
noun
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military the most advanced military units or elements in a battle
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the most advanced, exposed, or conspicuous element in any activity or situation
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frontline. (modifier)
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of, relating to, or suitable for the front line of a military formation
frontline troops
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of, relating to, or suitable for public service and business employees who are in direct contact with the public
frontline staff
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to the fore; advanced, conspicuous, etc
frontline news
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of or relating to a country bordering on or close to a hostile country or scene of armed conflict
leaders of the frontline states attended the summit
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Etymology
Origin of front line
First recorded in 1670–80
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.
“He’s doing a disservice to the people that are on the front line, that rely on him and his colleagues to give them the parameters of what they can and can’t do,” Doyle added.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026
Forty miles away, the U.A.E. stands on the front line of this conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
"There's different ways of doing it and we have really good options across the front line."
From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026
Outmatched on the ground by the better-equipped M23 and Rwandan troops, Kinshasa's forces have relied in part on US pressure on Kigali to stabilise the front line, regional specialists and security sources told AFP.
From Barron's • Mar. 2, 2026
As we crossed the front line, I saw the Germans sitting close to each other, miserably looking up at the sky.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
