home front

American

noun

the civilian sector of a nation at war when its armed forces are in combat abroad.

Other Word Forms

home-front adjective

Etymology

Origin of home front

First recorded in 1915–20

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.

During World War I and World War II, Americans on the home front made huge sacrifices to support the war effort.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

Their mission is to make sure that fighting never hits the home front, he said—and that can require long and stressful deployments.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 21, 2026

“I look at what’s happening on the home front and internationally, and I worry; and I am still convinced there are more good people out there than the other kind.”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 2, 2026

There could also be good news for Nvidia on the home front as xAI, Elon Musk’s AI company, completed a $20 billion Series E funding round, surpassing its $15 billion target.

From Barron's • Jan. 7, 2026

Her letters also kept her family up-to-date about what was happening on the home front.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023