I. ˈfrənt noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English frount, front, from Old French front, from Latin front-, frons — more at brink
1.
a. : forehead , brow
slavery will be branded on our front — W.E.Channing
also : the whole face
tears ran down that noble front
b.
(1) : countenance, demeanor, bearing, or posture especially in the face of danger or other trial
let us … take with unshaken front what comes — Theodore Roosevelt
appeared with dauntless front , accompanied by his paramour — T.B.Macaulay
(2) : the outward, visible, or feigned bearing or behavior of a person as contrasted with his true or essential character, feelings, or condition
the brave front she had maintained so long — T.B.Costain
has good within him, behind a perfectly abominable front — Irving Stone
a perpetually phony front of good fellowship is maintained — V.A.Young
was putting up a front … in order not to distress this girl — Mary R. Rinehart
also : external and often feigned appearance (as of material prosperity or high social position)
very good clothes at bargain prices — important to a man who must maintain a front — R.M.Yoder
(3) : an artificial, affected, or self-important manner : show of vanity or haughtiness : airs
he was very humble and had no front for a prince — Time
(4) : stand or posture in reference to some issue or problem : point of view , outlook , policy , position — chiefly used with change
a change of front was signaled by his offer to come to terms
suddenly changed front and threw in with the opposition
c.
(1) : the foremost rank (as of an army) : van
(2) : a line of battle
(3) often capitalized : a zone of conflict especially between armies
a division going up to the front
(4) : lateral space occupied by a military unit
(5) — used as a military command of execution for individuals to turn their heads straight forward (as after dressing to the right)
ready, front !
(6) — used as a call by a hotel desk clerk in summoning a bellboy
(7) : a sphere or area of conflict or activity
while men are always on fire over their opinions, they are rarely so on more than one front at a time — Curtis Bok
the four fronts are military, economic, political, and psychological — Congressional Record
progress on the educational front
a fairly quiet month on the athletic front — Dartmouth Alumni Magazine
d.
(1) : a coalition or movement linking persons, elements, or groups often of diverse political, ideological, or other tendency in an effort to achieve certain common objectives
common unity and a common front are surely a pressing political need — Christopher Fremantle
announced his purpose to be the erection of a solid front … a hemisphere wholly prepared to consult together for our mutual safety — R.W.Van Alstyne
a united psychiatric front to frustrate the drive of courts and lawyers to make psychiatric testimony conform to antiquated concepts — Edward de Grazia
specifically : a coalition of political parties of diverse ideological or other tendency for the achievement of certain common objectives — usually used with a qualifier
and to create a popular democratic front — Collier's Year Book
the people's fronts represented an intermediate stage between Western and Soviet forms of democracy — Taylor Cole
(2) : a person, group, or thing that is used to cover up or mislead concerning the identity or the usually illegal, harmful, or self-serving true character, purpose, or activity of the actual controlling or directing agent : facade
uses her as a front for his sinister machinations — New York Times Book Review
operated a florist shop as a front — Robert Shaplen
assailed the … nominees as fronts for a party of privilege — Collier's Year Book
all political groups and mass organizations are useful fronts to strengthen the party's influence — N.D.Palmer & South CarolinaLeng
(3) : a person who serves as the official though often only nominal head or spokesman of an enterprise or group to lend it prestige : figurehead
a retired general with an impressive war record made an excellent front for the company
2. : something that confronts or faces forward: as
a.
(1) : a face of a building ; especially : the face that contains the principal entrance
(2) : the part of a theater in front of the curtain ; also : the personnel engaged to work there
(3) : the faceplate of a mortise lock through which the ends of the bolt are projected
(4) : the part of a crab's carapace between the eyes
(5) : frons 2
(6) : the forepart of the chest and forelegs in a quadruped
(7) : the forepart of a garment
a book … propped against his meager front of tweed — James Stern
(8) : shirtfront
(9) : dickey
(10) : the part of the human figure opposite to the back
lying on his front
b.
(1) : the part or surface of something that seems to look out or be directed forward : the fore or forward part
a grasshopper's back is really his front — J.B.S.Haldane
(2) : land that faces or abuts (as on a body of water, a river, a road) : frontage
a lake front
also : a promenade along the beach at a seaside resort
they walked on the front together — W.S.Maugham
(3) : a relatively narrow zone of rock characterized by concentration of some elements or scarcity of others relative to adjacent zones
(4) : the end of a dynamo or motor shaft opposite to the end that carries the pulley or other coupling member
(5) : the side of a paper machine from which it is operated
(6) : the boundary between two dissimilar air masses — see cold front , warm front
(7) : the part of the upper surface of the tongue behind the blade that lies opposite the hard palate when the tongue is at rest
(8) : belly 5d
c. : the first part of something: as
(1) archaic : the first part of a season or other unit of time : beginning
(2) fronts plural : the first portion of a distillate
benzene fronts
d. : something attached to the forepart: as
(1) : false hair worn over the forehead by a woman
(2) : the part of a bridle that crosses the forehead — see bridle illustration
3.
a. : a position directly before or ahead of a person or before the foremost part of a thing
with six seconds to go he forged out in the front of his rivals
a tree stood in the front of the yard
b. : a position of leadership, advantage, or superiority in any field
an indefatigable worker, he rapidly made his way to the front of his profession
•
- front and center
- in front of
- out front
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: partly from Middle French fronter, from front, n.; partly from front (I)
intransitive verb
1. : to have or turn the face or front in a specified direction : face
the house fronts toward the east
2.
a. : to act as a sponsor, advocate, or spokesman
the persons who had gotten them jobs fronted for them in time of stress — C.R.Cooper
his ability to … front for the United States in world affairs — Time
b. : to serve as a front
fronting for oil interests — Current Biography
the top men in the community have little time for committee meetings; they send a lesser man to front for them — O.S.Strong
transitive verb
1.
a. : to face up to : confront
went to the woods because I wished … to front only the essential facts of life — H.D.Thoreau
loses his job … and with it his ability to front life benignly — J.P.Bishop
b. : to appear before : meet face-to-face
daily fronted him in some fresh splendor — Alfred Tennyson
2.
a. : to stand in front of : serve as a front to
a lawn fronting a house
b. : to be the leader of (a dance orchestra)
appeared as soloist in reviews, in addition to fronting bands — Esquire's Jazz Book
3. obsolete : begin , introduce , preface
4. : to supply a front to : put a facing upon
fronted the building with brick
5. : to face or look toward : have the front toward, opposite, or over against
the house fronts the street
6. : to articulate (a sound) with the tongue further forward
III. adjective
Etymology: front (I)
1. : of or relating to the front or forward part : situated in front
a front view
front seats at the opera
2. comparative sometimes fronter : articulated at or toward the front of the oral passage
ē, ā, s, and p are front sounds
IV. adverb
Etymology: front (I)
: toward, in, or at the front or forward position
a pale boy rose and came front of the class — Willa Cather
those who are older and sit farther front than I do — Henry Hewes
— often used in the phrases up front and out front
a few riflemen might be needed up front later — Combat Forces Journal
way out front in the race — T.M.Pryor
V. abbreviation
frontispiece
VI. transitive verb
1. : advance 4b
fronted them a loan
2. : to move (a word or phrase) to the beginning of a sentence
3. basketball : to play in front of (an opposing player) rather than between the player and the basket
intransitive verb
: bluff 2
VII. adjective
: acting as a front
front companies