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

Uber said in an email to MarketWatch that its up-front fares are based on time, distance and demand conditions, and that its algorithms do not use individual driver characteristics or past behavior to determine pay.

From MarketWatch

These are broad-brush figures, but how do you make heat pumps pay, given their generally higher up-front cost?

From BBC

In 2021, Wever enrolled in a 14-week coding program that charged no up-front fees—just part of his salary if he landed a job.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Brie’s lease was up, and that accelerated some conversations we would have needed to have later on. She and I wanted different things. I’m not in the position at this stage in my life to be the kind of partner she needs. I tried to be up-front about that from the beginning but . . .” He trails off, then shrugs as if to say, “What can you do?”

From Literature

And it would speed up-front payments to policyholders whose homes have burned down.

From Los Angeles Times