up-front

[uhp-fruhnt]

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.

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of up-front¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Idioms and Phrases

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]

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

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

Example Sentences

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.

Read more on 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.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Part of the deal was that if he left early in the lease he could reclaim some of the money he had paid up-front, with that amount tapering down over time until 25 years - at the current rate, it is about £186,000 for each remaining year until 2028.

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The deal meant that instead of paying annual rent, Prince Andrew made large lump sum payments up-front, including for renovations.

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He thinks that Westpac’s strategic plan looks sensible given the lender’s requirements, but points out that it requires significant up-front investment and that productivity benefits won’t emerge until FY 2028.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal