Front FRONT, n. [L. frons, frontis; Gr. the nose.] 1. Properly,
the forehead, or part of the face above the eyes; hence, the whole
face. His front yet threatens, and his frowns command. 2. The
forehead or face, as expressive of the temper or disposition; as a
fold front, equivalent to boldness or impudence. So a hardened front is
shamelessness. 3. The forepart of any thing; as the front of a house,
the principal face or side. 4. The forepart or van of an army or a
body of troops. 5. The part or place before the face, or opposed to
it, or to the forepart of a thing. He stood in front of his troops. The
road passes in front of his house. 6. The most conspicuous part
or particular. 7. Impudence; as men of front. FRONT,
v.t. 1. To oppose face to face; to oppose directly. I shall
front thee, like some staring ghost, with all my wrongs about me.
2. To stand opposed or opposite, or over against any thing; as, his house
fronts the church. FRONT, v.i. 1. To stand foremost.
2. To have the face or front towards any point of compass.
front
adj 1: relating to or located in the front; "the front lines";
"the front porch" [ant: back(a)]
n 1: the side that is forward or prominent [syn: front, front
end}, forepart] [ant: back end, backside, rear]
2: the line along which opposing armies face each other [syn:
battlefront, front, front line]
3: the outward appearance of a person; "he put up a bold front"
4: the side that is seen or that goes first [ant: back,
rear]
5: a person used as a cover for some questionable activity [syn:
front man, front, figurehead, nominal head, straw
man}, strawman]
6: a sphere of activity involving effort; "the Japanese were
active last week on the diplomatic front"; "they advertise on
many different fronts"
7: (meteorology) the atmospheric phenomenon created at the
boundary between two different air masses
8: the immediate proximity of someone or something; "she blushed
in his presence"; "he sensed the presence of danger"; "he was
well behaved in front of company" [syn: presence, front]
9: the part of something that is nearest to the normal viewer;
"he walked to the front of the stage" [ant: back, rear]
10: a group of people with a common ideology who try together to
achieve certain general goals; "he was a charter member of
the movement"; "politicians have to respect a mass
movement"; "he led the national liberation front" [syn:
movement, social movement, front]
v 1: be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to
another reference point; be opposite to; "The house looks
north"; "My backyard look onto the pond"; "The building
faces the park" [syn: front, look, face] [ant:
back]
2: confront bodily; "breast the storm" [syn: front, breast]
front I. nounEtymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French frunt, front,
from Latin front-, fronsDate: 13th century 1.a.forehead; also the whole face b. external
and often feigned appearance especially in the face of danger or adversity
2.a.(1)vanguard(2) a line of battle (3) a zone
of conflict between armies
b.(1) a stand on an issue ;policy(2)
an area of activity or interest <progress on the educational
front> (3) a movement linking divergent elements to
achieve common objectives; especially a political coalition
3. a side of a building; especially the side that contains
the principal entrance 4.a. the forward part or surface b.(1)frontage(2) a beach promenade at a seaside resort
c.dickey 1a d. the boundary between two dissimilar
air masses
5.archaicbeginning6.a.(1) a position ahead of a person or of the foremost
part of a thing (2) — used as a call by a hotel desk clerk in
summoning a bellhop
b. a position of leadership or superiority 7.a. a person, group, or thing used to mask the identity or true
character or activity of the actual controlling agent b. a person
who serves as the nominal head or spokesman of an enterprise or group to
lend it prestige
II. verbDate: 1523 intransitive verb1. to have the front or principal side adjacent to something;
also to have frontage on something <a ten-acre plot
fronting on a lake — Current Biography> 2.
to serve as a front <fronting for special interests>
transitive verb1.a.confront <went to the woods because I wished…to
front only the essential facts of life — H. D. Thoreau>
b. to appear before <daily fronted him in some
fresh splendor — Alfred Tennyson>
2.a. to be in front of <a lawn fronting
the house> b. to be the leader of (a musical group) <appeared
as a soloist and fronted bands>
3. to face toward or have frontage on <the house
fronts the street> 4. to supply a front to
<fronted the building with bricks> 5.a. to articulate (a sound) with the tongue farther forward b.
to move (a word or phrase) to the beginning of a sentence
6.basketball to play in front of (an opposing player)
rather than between the player and the basket 7.advance 7
<fronted him the cash>
III. adjectiveDate: 1600 1.a. of, relating to, or situated at the front b. acting as
a front <front company>
2. articulated at or toward the front of the oral passage
<front vowels> 3. constituting the first nine holes
of an 18-hole golf course • frontadverbIV. abbreviation frontispiece
front n., adj., & v. --n. 1 the side or part normally nearer or towards the spectator or the direction of motion (the front of the car; the front of the chair; the front of the mouth). 2
any face of a building, esp. that of the main entrance. 3 Mil. a the foremost line or part of an army etc. b line of battle. c the part of the ground towards a real or imaginary enemy. d a scene
of actual fighting (go to the front). e the direction in which a formed line faces (change front). 4 a a sector of activity regarded as resembling a military front. b an organized political
group. 5 a demeanour, bearing (show a bold front). b outward appearance. 6 a forward or conspicuous position (come to the front). 7 a a bluff. b a pretext. 8 a person etc. serving to
cover subversive or illegal activities. 9 (prec. by the) the promenade of a seaside resort. 10 Meteorol. the forward edge of an advancing mass of cold or warm air. 11 (prec. by the) the
auditorium of a theatre. 12 a a face. b poet. or rhet. a forehead. 13 a the breast of a man's shirt. b a false shirt-front. 14 impudence. --attrib.adj. 1 of the front. 2 situated in
front. 3 Phonet. formed at the front of the mouth. --v. 1 intr. (foll. by on, to, towards, upon) have the front facing or directed. 2 intr. (foll. by for) sl. act as a front or cover
for. 3 tr. furnish with a front (fronted with stone). 4 tr. lead (a band). 5 tr. a stand opposite to, front towards. b have its front on the side of (a street etc.). 6 tr. archaic
confront, meet, oppose. Phrases and idioms: front bench Brit. the foremost seats in Parliament, occupied by leading members of the government and opposition. front-bencher Brit. such a
member. front door 1 the chief entrance of a house. 2 a chief means of approach or access to a place, situation, etc. front line Mil. = sense 3 of n. front-line States countries in Southern
Africa bordering on and opposed to South Africa. front man a person acting as a front or cover. front matter Printing the title-page, preface, etc. preceding the text proper. front office a main
office, esp. police headquarters. front page the first page of a newspaper, esp. as containing important or remarkable news. front passage colloq. the vagina. front runner 1 the contestant
most likely to succeed. 2 an athlete or horse running best when in the lead. in front 1 in an advanced position. 2 facing the spectator. in front of 1 ahead of, in advance of. 2
in the presence of, confronting. on the front burner see BURNER. Derivatives: frontless adj. frontward adj. & adv. frontwards adv. Etymology: ME f. OF front (n.), fronter (v.)
f. L frons frontis
front
(fronts, fronting, fronted)Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1. Thefrontof something is the part of it that faces you, or that faces
forward, or that you normally see or use.
One man sat in an armchair, and the other sat on the front of the desk...Stand at the front of the line...Her cotton dress had ripped down the front.≠ back
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft the N of n
2. Thefrontof a building is the side or part of it that faces the street.
Attached to the front of the house, there was a large veranda.N-COUNT: usu sing, oft the N of n
3. A person's or animal's front is the part of their body between their head and their
legs that is on the opposite side to their back.
If you lie your baby on his front, he'll lift his head and chest up.≠ back
N-SING: poss N
4. Front is used to refer to the side or part of something that is towards the front
or nearest to the front.
I went out there on the front porch...She was only six and still missing her front teeth...Children may be tempted to climb into the front seat while the car is in motion.≠ back
ADJ: ADJ n
5. The front page of a newspaper is the outside of the first page, where the main news
stories are printed.
The Guardian's front page carries a photograph of the two foreign ministers...The violence in the Gaza Strip makes the front page of most of the newspapers.ADJ: ADJ nsee alsofront-page
6. The front is a road next to the sea in a seaside town. (BRIT)
Amy went out for a last walk along the sea front.= promenade
N-SING: the N
7. In a war, the front is a line where two opposing armies are facing each other.
Sonja's husband is fighting at the front.N-COUNT: usu the N in singsee alsofront line
8. If you say that something is happening on a particular front, you mean that it is
happening with regard to a particular situation or field of activity.
We're moving forward on a variety of fronts.N-COUNT
9. If someone puts on a particular kind of front, they pretend to have a particular
quality.
Michael kept up a brave front both to the world and in his home...N-COUNT: usu adj N
10. An organization or activity that is afrontfor one that is illegal
or secret is used to hide it.
...a firm later identified by the police as a front for crime syndicates...= cover
N-COUNT: usu N for n
11. In relation to the weather, a front is a line where a mass of cold air meets a mass
of warm air.
A very active cold front brought dramatic weather changes to Kansas on Wednesday.N-COUNT
12. A building or an area of land that fronts a particular place or frontsonto it is next to it and faces it.
...real estate, which includes undeveloped land fronting the city convention center...There are some delightful Victorian houses fronting onto the pavement....quaint cottages fronted by lawns and flowerbeds.= face
VERB: V n, V onto n, V-ed
13. The person who fronts an organization is the most senior person in it. (BRIT; in AM,
use head)
He fronted a formidable band of fighters...The commission, fronted by Sir Isaac Hayatali, was set up in June 1992.= head
VERB: V n, V-ed
14. If a person or thing is in front, they are ahead of others in a moving group,
or further forward than someone or something else.
Officers will crack down on lunatic motorists who speed or drive too close to the car
in front...'What's with this guy?' demanded an American voice in the row in front.PHRASE
15. Someone who is in front in a competition or contest at a particular point is winning
at that point.
Richard Dunwoody is in front in the jockeys' title race...Some preliminary polls show him out in front.= leading
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR
16. If someone or something is in front of a particular thing, they are facing it,
ahead of it, or close to the front part of it.
She sat down in front of her dressing-table mirror to look at herself...Something darted out in front of my car, and my car hit it...A police car was parked in front of the house.PREP-PHRASE
17. If you do or say something in front of someone else, you do or say it when they
are present.
They never argued in front of their children...He has been brought up not to swear in front of women.PREP-PHRASE
18. On the home front or on the domestic front means with regard to your own
country rather than foreign countries. (JOURNALISM)
Its present economic ills on the home front are largely the result of overspending...On the domestic front, the president got his way with his budget proposals.PHRASE: PHR with cl
Front \Front\, n.
1. (Fort.) All the works along one side of the polygon
inclosing the site which is fortified.
2. (Phon.) The middle of the upper part of the tongue, -- the
part of the tongue which is more or less raised toward the
palate in the pronunciation of certain sounds, as the
vowel i in machine, e in bed, and consonant y in you. See
Guide to Pronunciation, [sect]10.
3. The call boy whose turn it is to answer the call, which is
often the word ``front,'' used as an exclamation. [Hotel
Cant]
Front \Front\, n. [F. frant forehead, L. frons, frontis; perh.
akin to E. brow.]
1. The forehead or brow, the part of the face above the eyes;
sometimes, also, the whole face.
Bless'd with his father's front, his mother's
tongue. --Pope.
Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front.
--Shak.
His front yet threatens, and his frowns command.
--Prior.
2. The forehead, countenance, or personal presence, as
expressive of character or temper, and especially, of
boldness of disposition, sometimes of impudence; seeming;
as, a bold front; a hardened front.
With smiling fronts encountering. --Shak.
The inhabitants showed a bold front. --Macaulay.
3. The part or surface of anything which seems to look out,
or to be directed forward; the fore or forward part; the
foremost rank; the van; -- the opposite to back or rear;
as, the front of a house; the front of an army.
Had he his hurts before? Ay, on the front. --Shak.
4. A position directly before the face of a person, or before
the foremost part of a thing; as, in front of un person,
of the troops, or of a house.
5. The most conspicuous part.
The very head and front of my offending. --Shak.
6. That which covers the foremost part of the head: a front
piece of false hair worn by women.
Like any plain Miss Smith's, who wears s front.
--Mrs.
Browning.
7. The beginning. ``Summer's front.'' --Shak.
Bastioned front (Mil.), a curtain connerting two half
bastions.
Front door, the door in the front wall of a building,
usually the principal entrance.
Front of fortification, the works constructed upon any one
side of a polygon. --Farrow.
Front of operations, all that part of the field of
operations in front of the successive positions occupied
by the army as it moves forward. --Farrow.
To come to the front, to attain prominence or leadership.
Front \Front\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fronted; p. pr. & vb. n.
Fronting.]
1. To oppose face to face; to oppose directly; to meet in a
hostile manner.
You four shall front them in the narrow lane.
--Shak.
2. To appear before; to meet.
[Enid] daily fronted him In some fresh splendor.
--Tennyson.
3. To face toward; to have the front toward; to confront; as,
the house fronts the street.
And then suddenly front the changed reality. --J.
Morley.
4. To stand opposed or opposite to, or over against as, his
house fronts the church.
5. To adorn in front; to supply a front to; as, to front a
house with marble; to front a head with laurel.
Yonder walls, that pertly front your town. --Shak.
front
I. n.1. Forehead, brow.
2. Effrontery, face, impudence, assurance, brass.
3. Van, fore-rank, front rank, head.
4. Forepart, forward part.
5. Anterior, face.
6. Face, obverse.
7. Face, facade, front elevation.
II. v. a.1. Face, stand over against, stand opposite to.
2. Confront, encounter, oppose, meet face to face.
3. Fit with a front, face, make a front to or for.
4.(Poetical.) Come before, come into one's presence, appear before,
confront.
III. v. n.
Face, be or stand opposite.
front
frʌnt n.
1 face, faúade, facing, fore-part, anterior; obverse: The front of the door has a
painting on it. This dress buttons up the front.
2 frontage, forefront: The front of the property measures only
40 feet.
3 beginning, head, fore, vanguard, forefront, van: At the front of the parade marched
the mayor.
4 bearing, demeanour, mien, air, face, countenance, faúade, mask, expression, show,
appearance, aspect, look, exterior: Despite her grief, she put on a brave front at the wake.
5 disguise, cover, guise, mask, cover-up, show, pretext, faúade: The restaurant was
merely a front for a narcotics operation.
6 movement, organization, league, bloc, party, group, faction, wing: A new popular front
was formed out of a coalition of several opposition groups.
7 haughtiness, overconfidence, effrontery: He frightens away potential clients by showing
so much front.
8 in front. first, leading, ahead, to the fore, in the forefront, in the vanguard or van,
in advance, in the lead, before; winning: In this picture the man in front is my father. My
horse was in front all the way.
9 upfront. a See 8, above. b open, straightforward, honest, direct, forthright, frank,
candid: Why can't you be upfront instead of conspiring against me? --adj.
10 first, advance, foremost, leading, head; main: The front carriage was smashed in the
train wreck. Enter by the front door. --v.
11 overlook, face, look out on or towards, be opposite: Our house fronts the river. The
flat fronts on the street.
12 front for. act for, represent; substitute for, replace: I hate formal affairs and
hoped that you might front for me.
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