noun | adjective | verb
frontfront1 /frʌnt/ ●●● S1 W1 noun 1
PART THAT IS FARTHEST FORWARD the front the part of something that is farthest forward in the direction that it faces or moves OPP back: front of He stepped forward to the front of the stage. I pushed my way toward the front of the crowd.at the front of She always sits at the front of the class.in front Can I sit in front, Mom (=in the front part of a car)? When we finally got to the front of the line, the tickets were sold out.2SIDE THAT FACES FORWARD the front the side or surface of something that is in the direction that it faces or moves OPP back: front of Ben had just finished painting the front of the house.on the front (of) Where did the scratch on the front of the car come from?down the front (of) His sweater had a stain down the front.3MOST IMPORTANT SIDE the front the most important side or surface of something, that you look at first OPP back: The postcard had a picture of our hotel on the front.front of The front of the coin has a picture of an eagle on it.4FIRST PAGES the front the first pages of a book, newspaper, etc., especially inside the front cover OPP back: in the front of Her name is in the front of the book.5in front of something a)near the side of something that is in the direction that it faces or moves OPP behind: They’ve set up some food booths in front of the museum. I parked in front of Paul’s car. b)near the entrance to a building: He dropped me off right in front of the building. c)facing something so that you can see it if you look forward: She sat down in front of the mirror.in front of the TV/computer etc. The average child spends three to four hours a day in front of the TV. d)in a position where a car, train, etc. is likely to run you down and seriously injure or kill you: She ran out in front of the car. e)before something in a series or list OPP after: In the equation x + y = 5, the letters in front of the equal sign add up to 5.6in front of somebody a)ahead of someone, in the direction that he or she is facing or moving OPP behind: This really tall guy came and sat in front of me. b)when someone is where he or she can see or hear you: I didn’t want to say anything in front of the kids. c)when a group of people are watching or listening to you: The band played in front of a crowd of 8,000. d)if you have problems or difficulties in front of you, you will need to deal with them soon7in front a)ahead of something or someone SYN ahead OPP behind: He drove straight into the car in front. b)winning something such as a competition or an election SYN ahead OPP behind: Opinion polls show the Democrats way out in front. c)in the area at the front of a building OPP in back: a house with a tree in front8out front a)outside in front of a house or other building, usually near the main entrance OPP out back: Two cars were parked out front. b)in the part of a theater, restaurant, etc. where the public is9up front informal a)money that is paid up front is paid before work is done, or before goods are supplied: We need $200 up front. b)directly and clearly from the start: I told her up front that I wasn’t interested. → see also upfront c)in the part of a car where the driver sits10WEATHER [countable] earth science the place where two areas of air of different temperatures meet, often shown as a line on weather maps: a warm/cold front (=the edge of an area of warm or cold air)11TYPE OF ACTIVITY [countable] a particular area or activity: on the political/economic etc. front Things did not look good on the economic front. Excellent teamwork has brought improvement on all fronts.12ILLEGAL BUSINESS [countable] something that hides a secret or an illegal activity: front for The cafe was being used as a front for prostitution.13HIDE FEELINGS [countable usually singular] a way of behaving that shows what you want people to see, rather than what you feel: His arrogance is just a front. Deep down he’s really insecure. I know you’re scared, but you’ve got to put up a brave front. When disciplining children, it is important that parents present a united front.14ORGANIZATION [singular] used in the name of a political party or unofficial military organization: the People’s Liberation Front15WAR [countable] the area where fighting happens in a war SYN front line: Trucks are heading toward the front with fresh supplies. → see also home front16BODY somebody’s front someone’s chest, or the part of his or her body that faces forward: You’ve spilled juice all down your front![Origin: 1200–1300 French, Latin frons forehead (=top of the face), front]WORD CHOICE: in front of, opposite, across from• In front of a building, object, or person means outside of it and near its front surface: The car is parked in front of the house. A boy ran out in front of the bus (=in the street near the front of the bus).• Opposite a building, object, or person means directly facing the front of it but on the other side of the street or area: The apartment buildings are opposite the park.• Across from a person or place means facing that person or place but having a street or space between you: She sat across from me at lunch.• Compare: The bus stop is in front of the school (=on the same side of the street). The bus stop is across from the school (=on the opposite side of the street). She sat in front of me (=in a row in front, facing the same direction as me). She sat across from me (=on the other side of a table or room, facing me). She sat opposite me (=on the other side of a table or room, directly facing me). noun | adjective | verb
frontfront2 ●●● S1 W2 adjective [only before noun] 1
at, on, or in the front of something OPP back: There was a “For Sale” sign in the front yard. You only need one key for both the front door and the back door. Let’s sit in the front row. The title is on the front cover of the book.2a front man or organization acts legally in business as a way of hiding a secret or illegal activity: a front organization for importing heroin3eng. lang. arts a front vowel sound is made by raising your tongue at the front of your mouth, such as the vowel sound in “see” OPP back noun | adjective | verb
frontfront3 verb 1[intransitive, transitive] if a building fronts something or fronts onto it, the front of the building faces it: front on/onto The hotel fronts onto a busy road.2[transitive] to be the leader or main representative of a particular group: Genesis was originally fronted by Peter Gabriel.3[transitive] to be in front of something: The mansion is fronted by a huge lawn.front for somebody/something phrasal verb informal to be the person or organization that hides the real nature of a secret or illegal activity: He denied that he is fronting for the tobacco companies.