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• front load
  front load

  noun

  front-end load.
• front-load
  front-load

  verb (used with object)

  to load or fill from the front.

front load

¹ American  

noun

1. front-end load.

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front-load ² American  

[fruhnt-lohd, fruhnt-lohd] / ˈfrʌntˌloʊd, ˈfrʌntˈloʊd /

verb (used with object)

1. to load or fill from the front.

   Many washing machines are front-loaded.

2. to put in from the front; insert.

   Mounting the washer on a platform makes front-loading the clothes easier.

3. to make (fees, costs, commissions, etc.) applicable at the beginning of a contract, designated period, or the like.

   The striking teachers prefer to front-load their fringe benefits.

4. to concentrate something at the beginning of a process, period, etc..

   I foolishly front-loaded all my heaviest courses in the first semester.

   The author front-loads the book with a series of fascinating anecdotes.

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adjective

1. Also front-loaded. front-loading.

Etymology

Origin of front load¹

First recorded in 1975–80

Origin of front-load²

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

front load front-load

“I think it’s the right strategy to aggressively front load building capacity. That way, we’re prepared for the most optimistic case,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

Bigger companies were able to front load their inventories in anticipation, and small businesses have been taking out loans and freezing hiring to keep from raising prices.

From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2025

“We’re going to front load the financial liability with our own dollars approved by the people of the good city of Los Angeles, and then seek a reimbursement from the federal government,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 5, 2025

Dr Mansur said he was in conversation with the body to "augment" and "front load" this amount by an additional $3bn.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2024

Each team pulled approximately equal weights; the front load being divided between two sledges.

From The Home of the Blizzard Being the Story of the Australasian Antarctic Expedition, 1911-1914 by Sir Douglas Mawson

You can actually front-load up to five years’ worth of annual exclusion gifts for a child or grandchild for gift-tax purposes.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

They had surged at the start of the year as businesses sought to front-load the imposition of levies, but the impact of tariffs started to be felt from the second quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2025

But Meta’s CEO missed the mark with talk of a theoretical path toward “superintelligence” and plans to “aggressively front-load building capacity, so that way we’re prepared for the most optimistic cases.”

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2025

It comes after Mauritian PM Navin Ramgoolam claimed the UK had now agreed to front-load the payments and change how they are calculated.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2025

“Speaking of the script, would you hate me if I asked you to rerecord? You were pronouncing your Yiddish like Hebrew again. It’s supposed to be KHA-vertes; front-load the emphasis...”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny