front

noun fronts

1. countable, uncountable The foremost side of something or the end that faces the direction it normally moves.
2. countable, uncountable The side of a building with the main entrance. I'll go out the front, and you go out the back.
3. countable, uncountable A field of activity. Becoming more aware of the progress that scientists have made on behavioral fronts can reduce the risk that other natural scientists will resort to mystical agential accounts when they exceed the limits of their own disciplinary training.
4. countable, uncountable A person or institution acting as the public face of some other, covert group. Near-synonyms: frontperson, frontman, front man

   Similar: frontperson, frontman, front man

5. countable, uncountable The interface or transition zone between two airmasses of different density, often resulting in precipitation. Since the temperature distribution is the most important regulator of atmospheric density, a front almost invariably separates airmasses of different temperature. We need to take the clothes off the line. The news reported a front is coming in from the east, and we can expect heavy rain and maybe hail.
6. countable, uncountable An area where armies are engaged in conflict, especially the line of contact.
7. countable, uncountable The lateral space occupied by an element measured from the extremity of one flank to the extremity of the other flank.
8. countable, uncountable The direction of the enemy.
9. countable, uncountable When a combat situation does not exist or is not assumed, the direction toward which the command is faced.
10. countable, historical, uncountable A major military subdivision of the Soviet Army.
11. countable, dated, uncountable Cheek; boldness; impudence.
12. countable, dated, euphemistic, in plural, uncountable A woman's breast. […] there was one bare breast sticking out, the tip of it disappearing into Enid's father's mouth. She had told her mother about this in perfect certainty that she had seen it. She said, "One of her fronts was stuck in Daddy's mouth."
13. countable, informal, uncountable An act, show, façade, persona: an intentional and false impression of oneself. He says he likes hip-hop, but I think it's just a front.
14. countable, historical, uncountable 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 a front
15. countable, uncountable The most conspicuous part. the very head and front of my offending
16. countable, uncountable The beginning. summer's front
17. UK, countable, uncountable A seafront or coastal promenade.
18. countable, obsolete, uncountable 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.
19. countable, dated, slang, uncountable The bellhop whose turn it is to answer a client's call, which is often the word "front" used as an exclamation.
20. countable, in plural, slang, uncountable A grill (jewellery worn on front teeth). I'm saying, man, them fronts? That car? Who is you, Chiron?

Similar: fore · Opposite: back, rear, derrière

adjective further front · farther front · furthest front · farthest front

1. Located at or near the front. The front runner was thirty meters ahead of her nearest competitor.

   Similar: forward, first, lead, fore

2. comparable Pronounced with the highest part of the body of the tongue toward the front of the mouth, near the hard palate (most often describing a vowel). The English word dress has a front vowel in most dialects.
3. Closest or nearest, of a set of futures contracts which expire at particular times, or of the times they expire; (typically, the front month or front year is the next calendar month or year after the current one). Contracts are available for every month in the front year but do not extend over a year.

   Similar: prompt · Opposite: back

Opposite: back, last, rear

verb fronts · fronting · fronted

1. dated, intransitive To face (on, to); to be pointed in a given direction. The great gate fronting to the north was about four feet high, and almost two feet wide, through which I could easily creep.
2. transitive To face, be opposite to. After saluting her, he led her to a couch that fronted us, where they both sat down, and the young Genoese helped her to a glass of wine, with some Naples biscuit on a salver.
3. transitive To face up to, to meet head-on, to confront. Know you not Gaueston hath store of golde, Which may in Ireland purchase him such friends, As he will front the mightiest of vs all,
4. transitive To adorn with, at the front; to put on the front. Three tiers of balconies fronted with roped columns supporting arched openings looked down on the marble hall.
5. intransitive, transitive To pronounce with the tongue in a front position. The velar plosives are often fronted through the influence of a following front vowel, and retracted through the influence of a following back vowel.
6. transitive To move (a word or clause) to the start of a sentence (or series of adjectives, etc). […] in the clause, only the adjective may be fronted; but if both a past participle and a verbal particle are present, either may be fronted. Topicalization, in which maximal projections are fronted to express pragmatics such as contrast, emphasis, ...
7. intransitive, slang To act as a front (for); to cover (for). Everybody knew Skopas fronted for the fight mob even though he was officially the arena manager.
8. transitive To lead or be the spokesperson of (a campaign, organisation etc.). Ray Winstone is fronting a campaign for the Football Association that aims to stop pushy parents shouting abuse at their children during the grassroots football season.
9. ambitransitive Of an alter in a person with multiplicity (especially in dissociative identity disorder): to be the currently actively presenting member of (a system), in control of the person's body. Fronting can be understood as a representation of who controls the system, that is, the person to whom you are speaking. Emilia was typically the person fronting her system.
10. colloquial, transitive To provide money or financial assistance in advance to. I'm prepared to say that I fronted you the money for a business deal with me, and the investment paid off brilliantly.
11. intransitive, slang To assume false or disingenuous appearances. So when I tell people where I'm from and check their reactions, I know in my heart I'm just frontin’. Because the way and where I lived then pales when compared to the way and where many youths are living today.

    Similar: put on airs, feign

12. slang, transitive To deceive or attempt to deceive someone with false or disingenuous appearances (on). You think that you can front when revelation comes? / You can't front on that
13. transitive To appear before. to front court
14. intransitive, slang, transitive To act cocky, disrespectful and aggressive; to confront (someone).

interjection

1. Used to summon a worker on duty, such as a bellhop. Front, boy. Front, boy. Front, boy. Front, boy. You four boys show Mr. and Mrs. Gilbreth and their seven—-or so—-Irishmen to 503, 504, 505, 506, and 507.