front office

American  

noun

• front offices
  plural

1. the executive or administrative office of a company, organization, etc.

---

front office Idioms  

1. The policy-making or executive individuals in an organization, as in I'll have to check with the front office before I can give you a discount. This term was originally underworld slang for police headquarters or the main detective bureau. It soon was extended to other administrative offices and their personnel. [c. 1900]

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• front-office
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• front offices
  plural

Etymology

Origin of front office

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

front office

Ohtani said he’d leave the timing of his progression up to the front office.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026

It didn’t help that Tracy’s first two months after being promoted from Triple-A didn’t appear to change much, casting doubts on Breslow’s future at the helm of the front office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

Herzog won a power struggle in the front office, then quit anyway, amid disputes with ownership.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

“The front office was very transparent, they want to win,” Leonard said at his introductory Clippers news conference on July 24, 2019.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

“Listen. You could say Ian and I have...made the front office our second home. How many times would you say we’ve been sent in three years, Ian?”

From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia