I. front 1 S1 W1 /frʌnt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin frons 'forehead (= top of the face), front' ]
1 . PART THAT IS FURTHEST FORWARD the front the part of something that is furthest forward in the direction that it is facing or moving OPP back
the front of
Ricky stepped forward to the front of the stage and began to sing.
the front of the line/queue
It took ages to get to the front of the queue.
at/in the front (of something)
She always sits at the front of the class.
I found a good place on the bus, on the top deck, right at the front.
2 . SIDE THAT FACES FORWARD the front the front of something is the side or surface that faces forward OPP back
the front of
Harvey ran quickly round the front of the car to try and open the other door.
the control panel on the front of the machine
He wore an old sweater with a coffee stain down the front.
3 . MOST IMPORTANT SIDE the front the most important side or surface of something, that you look at first OPP back
on the front
Dean sent me a lovely postcard with a picture of Bolton Abbey on the front.
the front of
She’s on the front (=a picture of her is on the front) of this month’s magazine.
There’s an introduction at the front of the book (=in the first pages) .
4 . BUILDING the front the most important side of a building, where you go in OPP back
the front of
Ben had just finished painting the front of the house.
5 . in front of somebody/something
a) further forward than someone or something OPP behind :
He was standing in front of her in the lunch queue, and they just got talking.
He walked along in front of me, holding the lantern.
Suddenly, something ran across the road in front of the car.
An old wooden desk stood in front of the window.
b) facing someone or something:
The door opened and Harriet stood in front of him.
She sat down in front of the mirror and brushed her hair carefully.
Billy crouched in front of the fire to warm his hands.
c) outside a building, near its entrance:
There was a small garden in front of the house.
It was raining as we parked in front of the hotel.
d) if you say or do something in front of someone, you do it where they can see or hear you:
Don’t swear in front of the children!
The match was played in front of a crowd of 8,000.
e) if you have problems or difficulties in front of you, you will soon need to deal with them ⇨ in front of your eyes at ↑ eye 1 (9)
GRAMMAR
in front of, opposite
In front of a building means directly outside the front of it and on the same side of the street:
▪
The car stopped in front of our hotel.
Opposite a building means outside the front of it on the other side of a street, area of land etc:
▪
the shops opposite the school
6 . in front
a) ahead of something or someone OPP behind :
He drove straight into the car in front.
b) winning something such as a sports match or competition SYN ahead OPP behind :
His goal put Leeds back in front.
c) in the area nearest the most forward part of something, or nearest the entrance to a building
7 . on a ... front in a particular area of activity
on the economic/political etc front
On the technical front, there have been a number of important developments.
Excellent teamwork from our staff has brought improvement on all fronts.
on the domestic/international front
On the domestic front, de Gaulle’s priority was to secure his government’s authority.
on a wide/broad/limited front
Schemes of this kind enjoyed success only on a limited front.
8 . out front ( also out the front/out in front British English ) the area near the entrance to a building:
Hurry up! The taxi is out front.
9 . in (the) front/up front in the front part of a car, next to the driver or where the driver sits:
Mom, can I sit in the front?
10 . in front of the television/TV/computer etc watching a television or using a computer:
The average child spends three to four hours in front of the TV.
I spend most of my time sitting in front of a computer.
11 . up front informal
a) money that is paid up front is paid before work is done, or before goods are supplied:
We need two hundred pounds up front.
b) directly and clearly from the start:
It’s important to tell potential clients this up front.
⇨ ↑ upfront
12 . WEATHER [countable] technical the place where two areas of air of different temperatures meet, often shown as a line on weather maps
warm/cold front (=an area of warm or cold air)
13 . SEA the front British English a wide road next to the beach where people can walk for pleasure:
We could always go for a stroll along the front.
14 . BODY your front your chest, or the part of your body that faces forward:
You’ve spilled juice all down your front!
He was asleep, lying on his front with his head turned to one side.
15 . ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES [countable] a legal business that someone operates in order to hide the illegal activities that they are involved in
front for
The casino was used as a front for cross-border smuggling operations.
16 . HIDE FEELINGS [singular] if you put on a front, you behave in a way that is happier, braver etc than you really feel
put on/show a front
Jenny didn’t want Adam to see how worried she was. So she put on a brave front.
His arrogance is just a front. Deep down he’s really insecure.
When disciplining children, it is important that parents present a united front (=show that they both feel the same about a situation) .
17 . ORGANIZATION [singular] used in the name of a political party or unofficial military organization:
the People’s Liberation Front
18 . WAR [countable] the area where fighting happens in a war SYN front line :
He joined the army, and was immediately sent to the front.
Her husband was shot down over the Western Front.
⇨ ↑ home front
19 . CHURCH [countable] a side of a large important church building:
the west front of Rouen cathedral
II. front 2 S1 W2 BrE AmE adjective [only before noun]
1 . at, on, or in the front of something OPP back :
Two of his front teeth had been knocked out.
the front cover of ‘Hello!’ magazine
the front wheel of his bicycle
the dog’s front legs
front door/garden/porch etc (=at the front of a house)
We walked up the front steps and into the reception area.
front seat/row
We got there an hour early in order to get seats in the front row.
2 . a front organization is a legal one that is run in order to hide a secret or illegal activity:
a front organization for importing heroin
⇨ ↑ front man (1)
3 . technical a front vowel sound is made by raising your tongue at the front of your mouth, such as the vowel sound in ‘see’ ⇨ back
III. front 3 BrE AmE verb
1 . [transitive] especially British English if someone fronts something such as a musical group or a television programme, they lead it and are the person that the public sees most:
Fronted by Alan Hull, the band had a number of memorable hits.
2 . [transitive usually passive] ( also front onto something British English ) if a building or area of land is fronted by something, or fronts onto it, it faces that thing:
The house was fronted by a large ornamental lake.
The hotel entrance fronted onto a busy road.
3 . be fronted by/with something to be covered or decorated at the front with something:
a large building fronted with marble