Front — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb adjective abbreviation /ˈfrənt/

Meaning & Definition of Front

Front (noun)

  1. forehead; also, the whole face
  2. the part of the body that faces forward
  3. external and often feigned appearance especially in the face of danger or adversity

Front (verb)

  1. to have the front or principal side adjacent to something; also, to have frontage on something
  2. to act or serve as a cover or front for something or someone
  3. to assume a fake or false personality to conceal one's true identity and character

Front (adjective)

  1. of, relating to, or situated at the front
  2. acting as a front
  3. articulated at or toward the front of the oral passage

Front (abbreviation)

  1. frontispiece

Front (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. being at or in the part of something opposite the back part

    "visitors use the front door, but family knows to go around to the side entrance"

    similar: anterior, fore, forward, frontal, frontward
    related: ventral
    opposite: aft, after, hind, hinder, hindmost, posterior, rear, rearward
    near: dorsal

Front (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a forward part or surface

    "the front of the church features a magnificent stained-glass window"

    similar: facade, face, forehead, forepart
    related: outside, skin, surface, veneer
    opposite: back, rear, rearward, reverse
    near: innards, inside, interior

  2. a display of emotion or behavior that is insincere or intended to deceive

    "that smile is just a front—I don't think she actually likes me at all"

    similar: act, airs, charade, disguise, facade, guise, masquerade, playacting, pose, pretense, put-on, semblance, show
    related: impersonation, performance, portrayal, image, persona, appearance, color, gloss, camouflage, cloak, affectation, deceit, deception, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, duplicity, fakery, fraud, guile, betrayal, double cross, faithlessness, falseness, falsity, infidelity, perfidy, treachery, treason, unfaithfulness, excuse, pretext
    near: bluntness, candidness, candor, directness, forthrightness, frankness, openheartedness, outspokenness, plainspokenness, sincerity, straightforwardness, artlessness, genuineness, naïveté

  3. a region of activity, knowledge, or influence

    "are we making any progress on the marketing front?"

    similar: area, arena, bailiwick, barony, business, circle, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, field, firmament, game, kingdom, line, precinct, province, realm, specialty, sphere, terrain, walk
    related: frontier, study, subject, territory, turf, occupation, profession, pursuit, racket, vocation, ambit, amplitude, breadth, compass, confine, dimension(s), extent, ken, reach, scope, sweep, width, subfield, subspecialty

Front (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to stand or sit with the face or front toward

    "the apartment complex fronts the ocean"

    similar: face, look (toward), point (toward)
    related: abut, adjoin, border, bound, fringe, margin, meet, neighbor, rim, skirt, touch, command, dominate, overlook, look down (on)

Related Entry: Front line (noun)

Front line is a different word from Front. The synonyms below are for front line, not for front.

  1. the leading or most important part of a movement

    "Susan B. Anthony was on the front line of the struggle for woman suffrage"

    similar: cutting edge, forefront, leading edge, van, vanguard
    related: spearhead

Related Entry: Front burner (noun)

Front burner is a different word from Front. The synonyms below are for front burner, not for front.

  1. as in attention, center stage

    similar: catbird seat, center stage, limelight, spotlight, top billing, attention, heed, notice
    opposite: background, obscurity, shadow

  2. as in moment, consequence

    similar: account, consequence, import, importance, magnitude, moment, momentousness, significance, weight, weightiness, exigency, insistence, instancy, urgency, ascendancy, preeminence, primacy, supremacy, precedence, priority, right-of-way, gravity, seriousness, preference
    opposite: back burner

Related Entry: Front burners (noun)

Front burners is a different word from Front. The synonyms below are for front burners, not for front.

  1. as in attentions, center stages

    similar: catbird seats, center stages, limelights, spotlights, top billings, attentions, heeds, notices
    opposite: back burners

  2. as in moments, consequences

    similar: accounts, consequences, importances, imports, magnitudes, moments, significances, weights, exigencies, insistences, instancies, urgencies, ascendancies, preeminences, primacies, supremacies, precedences, priorities, rights-of-way, preferences, gravities
    opposite: back burners

Related Entry: Front lines (noun)

Front lines is a different word from Front. The synonyms below are for front lines, not for front.

  1. the leading or most important part of a movement

    "Susan B. Anthony was on the front line of the struggle for woman suffrage"

    similar: cutting edges, forefronts, leading edges, vanguards, vans
    related: spearheads

Related Entry: Out-front (adjective)

Out-front is a different word from Front. The synonyms below are for out-front, not for front.

  1. free in expressing one's true feelings and opinions

    "he's always been out-front about his sexuality"

    similar: candid, direct, forthcoming, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, freehearted, honest, open, openhearted, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, straight, straightforward, unguarded, unreserved, up-front
    related: artless, earnest, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, natural, real, sincere, unaffected, undesigning, unpretending, unpretentious, outgoing, uninhibited, unrestrained, vocal, vociferous, abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, gruff, sharp, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, rude, tactless, thoughtless, uncivil, undiplomatic, ungracious, unmannerly, unsubtle
    opposite: dissembling, uncandid, unforthcoming
    near: inhibited, reserved, restrained, close-mouthed, laconic, quiet, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative, ambiguous, circuitous, equivocal, evasive, diplomatic, politic, tactful, civil, considerate, courteous, polite

Related Entry: Up-front (adjective)

Up-front is a different word from Front. The synonyms below are for up-front, not for front.

  1. free in expressing one's true feelings and opinions

    "some hurt feelings could have been spared if he'd been more up-front about whom he was inviting to the party"

    similar: candid, direct, forthcoming, forthright, foursquare, frank, free-spoken, freehearted, honest, open, openhearted, out-front, outspoken, plain, plainspoken, straight, straightforward, unguarded, unreserved
    related: artless, earnest, guileless, ingenuous, innocent, naive, natural, real, sincere, unaffected, undesigning, unpretending, unpretentious, outgoing, uninhibited, unrestrained, vocal, vociferous, abrupt, bluff, blunt, brusque, crusty, curt, gruff, sharp, impertinent, impolite, inconsiderate, rude, tactless, thoughtless, uncivil, undiplomatic, ungracious, unmannerly, unsubtle
    opposite: dissembling, uncandid, unforthcoming
    near: inhibited, reserved, restrained, close-mouthed, laconic, quiet, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative, ambiguous, circuitous, equivocal, evasive, diplomatic, politic, tactful, civil, considerate, courteous, polite

Related Entry: In front of (phrase)

In front of is a different word from Front. The synonyms below are for in front of, not for front.

  1. preceding in space

    "The answer was right in front of me the whole time."

    similar: afore (chiefly dialect), ahead of, before, fore (chiefly dialect), in advance of
    related: against
    opposite: after, following

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Front

The most common words with a similar meaning to Front:

anterior, fore, forward, frontal, frontward, facade, face, forehead, forepart, act, airs, charade, disguise, guise, masquerade, playacting, pose, pretense, put-on, semblance, show, area, arena, bailiwick, barony, business, circle, demesne, department, discipline, domain, element, fief, fiefdom, field, firmament, game, kingdom, line, precinct

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Front

Words with the opposite meaning of Front:

aft, after, hind, hinder, hindmost, posterior, rear, rearward, back, reverse

Related Words for Front

ventral, outside, skin, surface, veneer, impersonation, performance, portrayal, image, persona, appearance, color, gloss, camouflage, cloak, affectation, deceit, deception, dissembling, dissimulation, double-dealing, duplicity, fakery, fraud, guile, betrayal, double cross, faithlessness, falseness, falsity

Near Antonyms of Front

dorsal, innards, inside, interior, bluntness, candidness, candor, directness, forthrightness, frankness, openheartedness, outspokenness, plainspokenness, sincerity, straightforwardness, artlessness, genuineness, naïveté

Word Forms of Front

Inflections: fronted, fronting, fronts

Derived words: front (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Front

Middle English, from Anglo-French frunt, front, from Latin front-, frons

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Front

Words & Phrases Containing Front

front and center, front bench, front burner, front dive, front-end, front end

Frequently Asked Questions about Front

What does "Front" mean?

"Front" means forehead; also, the whole face. As an a noun, a verb, an adjective and an abbreviation, it is defined as: forehead; also, the whole face. It has 5 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Front"?

Other words for "Front" include anterior, fore, forward, frontal, frontward, facade, face and forehead. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Front" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Front"?

There are 124 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Front". Common alternatives include anterior, fore, forward, frontal, frontward, facade, face, forehead, forepart and act.

What is the opposite of "Front"?

Antonyms of "Front" include aft, after, hind, hinder, hindmost, posterior, rear and rearward. Near antonyms include dorsal, innards, inside and interior.

How do you use "Front" in a sentence?

Examples of "Front" in a sentence: "visitors use the front door, but family knows to go around to the side entrance"; "the front of the church features a magnificent stained-glass window"; "that smile is just a front—I don't think she actually likes me at all".

Is "Front" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Front" can be used as a noun, a verb, an adjective and an abbreviation, depending on the context.

Is "Front" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Front" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Front"?

"Front" is pronounced /ˈfrənt/.