(~s, ~ing, ~ed)
Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English.
1.
The ~ of 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 ~ of the desk...
Stand at the ~ of the line...
Her cotton dress had ripped down the ~.
? back
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft the N of n
2.
The ~ of a building is the side or part of it that faces the street.
Attached to the ~ of the house, there was a large veranda.
N-COUNT: usu sing, oft the N of n
3.
A person’s or animal’s ~ 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 ~, 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 ~ or nearest to the ~.
I went out there on the ~ porch...
She was only six and still missing her ~ teeth...
Children may be tempted to climb into the ~ seat while the car is in motion.
? back
ADJ: ADJ n
5.
The ~ page of a newspaper is the outside of the first page, where the main news stories are printed.
The Guardian’s ~ page carries a photograph of the two foreign ministers...
The violence in the Gaza Strip makes the ~ page of most of the newspapers.
ADJ: ADJ n
see also ~-page
6.
The ~ is a road next to the sea in a seaside town. (BRIT)
Amy went out for a last walk along the sea ~.
= promenade
N-SING: the N
7.
In a war, the ~ is a line where two opposing armies are facing each other.
Sonja’s husband is fighting at the ~.
N-COUNT: usu the N in sing
see also ~ line
8.
If you say that something is happening on a particular ~, you mean that it is happening with regard to a particular situation or field of activity.
We’re moving forward on a variety of ~s.
N-COUNT
9.
If someone puts on a particular kind of ~, they pretend to have a particular quality.
Michael kept up a brave ~ both to the world and in his home...
N-COUNT: usu adj N
10.
An organization or activity that is a ~ for one that is illegal or secret is used to hide it.
...a firm later identified by the police as a ~ for crime syndicates...
= cover
N-COUNT: usu N for n
11.
In relation to the weather, a ~ is a line where a mass of cold air meets a mass of warm air.
A very active cold ~ brought dramatic weather changes to Kansas on Wednesday.
N-COUNT
12.
A building or an area of land that ~s a particular place or ~s onto it is next to it and faces it.
...real estate, which includes undeveloped land ~ing the city convention center...
There are some delightful Victorian houses ~ing onto the pavement.
...quaint cottages ~ed by lawns and flowerbeds.
= face
VERB: V n, V onto n, V-ed
13.
The person who ~s an organization is the most senior person in it. (BRIT; in AM, use head )
He ~ed a formidable band of fighters...
The commission, ~ed by Sir Isaac Hayatali, was set up in June 1992.
= head
VERB: V n, V-ed
14.
If a person or thing is in ~, 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 ~...
‘What’s with this guy?’ demanded an American voice in the row in ~.
PHRASE
15.
Someone who is in ~ in a competition or contest at a particular point is winning at that point.
Richard Dunwoody is in ~ in the jockeys’ title race...
Some preliminary polls show him out in ~.
= leading
PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR
16.
If someone or something is in ~ of a particular thing, they are facing it, ahead of it, or close to the ~ part of it.
She sat down in ~ of her dressing-table mirror to look at herself...
Something darted out in ~ of my car, and my car hit it...
A police car was parked in ~ of the house.
PREP-PHRASE
17.
If you do or say something in ~ of someone else, you do or say it when they are present.
They never argued in ~ of their children...
He has been brought up not to swear in ~ of women.
PREP-PHRASE
18.
On the home ~ or on the domestic ~ means with regard to your own country rather than foreign countries. (JOURNALISM)
Its present economic ills on the home ~ are largely the result of overspending...
On the domestic ~, the president got his way with his budget proposals.
PHRASE: PHR with cl