up-front

American  

[uhp-fruhnt] / ˈʌpˈfrʌnt /

adjective

1. invested or paid in advance or as beginning capital.

   an up-front fee of five percent and an additional five percent when the job is done.

2. honest; candid; straightforward.

   He's very up-front about discussing his past.

3. conspicuous or prominent.

   The company has an up-front position in its industry.

4. located in the front or forward section.

   to request up-front seats on a plane.

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adverb

1. as an initial investment, beginning capital, or an advance payment.

   They'll need a half-million dollars up-front before opening the business.

2. before other payments, deductions, or returning a profit.

   Estimated operating expenses will be deducted up-front.

up front Idioms  

1. In the forward section, as of an airplane or theater. For example, We'd like two seats as far up front as possible . [First half of 1900s]

2. Paid in advance, as in We need at least half of the money for the production up front . [ Colloquial ; c. 1930]

3. Candid, direct, as in Now tell me straight up front what you think of this outfit . [Second half of 1900s]

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Etymology

Origin of up-front

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Your favorite store might offer enticing up-front benefits to hook you.

From MarketWatch

Andrew had taken on a 75-year lease of Royal Lodge in 2003, paying over £8.5m up-front to cover renovation costs and paying in advance to remove any requirement for rent, based on a notional rent of £260,000 per year.

From BBC

In specific cases, venues should still be able to generate secure, up-front revenue that can be re-invested - such as through seat licences.

From BBC

Deutsche Bank analyst Benjamin Black expressed similar sentiments in a note last week, writing that Meta’s large up-front AI investment has boosted the company’s advertising revenue growth, which is in turn allowing it to lean into foundational AI-model training — something that could unlock new opportunities outside of its existing ad business.

From MarketWatch

Users who pay the up-front cost of a Life360 pet-tracking device are also less likely to drop the subscription due to sunk-cost psychology, the analysts add.

From The Wall Street Journal