waterfront

[waw-ter-fruhnt, wot-er-]

See more synonyms for waterfront on Thesaurus.com

noun

land on the edge of a body of water.
a part of a city or town on such land; wharf or dock section.
a container placed before a stove to heat water.

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Origin of waterfront

An Americanism dating back to 1760–70; water + front

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for waterfront

Contemporary Examples

Venetians sip their coffee in quiet squares and walk their dogs along the waterfront with nary a tourist in sight.
After the Wedding: George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin in Venice
Barbie Latza Nadeau
September 28, 2014
The vision for the waterfront restaurant (which has yet to name a chef) is boathouse-chic.
Celebrities, Take Note: Anguilla Is Back From the Brink
Debra A. Klein
May 6, 2014
After HUAC and Waterfront, he writes of his exhaustion and doubts.
Elia Kazan Was a Brilliant, Needy Pen Pal
Caryn James
April 30, 2014
Lennon had got the sailing bug on Long Island where he and Ono had a house on the waterfront.
How John Lennon Rediscovered His Music in Bermuda
The Telegraph
November 3, 2013
His new novel, The Big Crowd, is set amidst the violence and corruption of the crime-ridden New York waterfront of the 1940s.
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Live In: Kevin Baker’s New York
Allen Barra
September 23, 2013

Historical Examples

The waterfront was empty, swept clean of all that I disliked.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
On walks along the waterfront he would treat it all like a graveyard.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
Walking now down the waterfront I met only a figure here and there.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
As I went along the waterfront I felt a confused disappointment.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
More barrels, boxes, crates and bags to be piled high up on the waterfront.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole

British Dictionary definitions for waterfront

waterfront

noun

the area of a town or city alongside a body of water, such as a harbour or dockyard

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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for waterfront

n.

1856, from water (n.1) + front (n.).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Idioms and Phrases with waterfront

waterfront

see cover the field (waterfront).

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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.