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.
Other recommendations include a new senior constable rank to reward and recognise experienced frontline officers who provide leadership and mentor colleagues, as well as nationally accredited training for new constables.
From BBC • Jul. 6, 2026
Speculation is rife in Westminster that Farage could walk away from frontline politics.
From Barron's • Jul. 6, 2026
It reported that Cottrell also paid for Farage's security and paid staff who worked on his social media shortly before he announced a return to frontline politics in 2024.
From Barron's • Jul. 5, 2026
Many of them are frontline personnel in nursing homes.
From Slate • Jun. 26, 2026
You could smell the frontline miles before you could see it.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
