frontline
Americanadjective
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located or designed to be used at a military front line.
a frontline ambulance helicopter.
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of, relating to, or involving the forefront in any action, activity, or field.
a frontline TV reporter.
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highly experienced or proficient in the performance of one's duties.
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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.
Etymology
Origin of frontline
First recorded in 1910–15; front (in the military sense) + line 1 ( def. )
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.
It said: "The alleged behaviour falls below the high standards expected of officers, particularly in frontline protective roles."
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Her frontline home city of Oleshky has, according to multiple accounts, been largely cut off from fresh supplies of food or medicine for months.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
Paclitaxel is a well-established, frontline standard of care for several cancers.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
"In 2026-2027 we are investing just over £1bn in our prisons to support frontline staff and progress improvements in the prison estate," they said.
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
They still weren’t seeing frontline action, but when a fighter pilot of the 586th was involved in an aerial battle, it could be fierce and grim.
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.
