front

noun

• 1the side or part of an object that presents itself to view or that is normally seen or used first; the most forward part of something:a page at the front of the book had been torn out he sealed the envelope and wrote on the front
• [in singular] the position directly ahead of someone or something; the most forward position or place:she quickly turned her head to face the front
• the forward-facing part of a person’s body, on the opposite side to their back.
• the part of a garment covering this:oatmeal slopped from the tray onto his shirt front
• informal a woman’s bust or cleavage.
• any face of a building, especially that of the main entrance:the west front of the cathedral
• chiefly Britishshort for seafront or waterfront.

• 2the foremost line or part of an armed force; the furthest position that an army has reached and where the enemy is or may be engaged:his regiment was immediately sent to the front
• the direction toward which a line of troops faces when formed.
• a particular formation of troops for battle.
• a particular situation or sphere of operation:there was some good news on the jobs front
• [often in names] an organized political group:the Palestinian Liberation Front
• Meteorology the forward edge of an advancing mass of air. See cold front, occluded front, warm front.

• 3 [in singular] an appearance or form of behavior assumed by a person to conceal their genuine feelings:she put on a brave front
• a person or organization serving as a cover for subversive or illegal activities:the CIA identified the company as a front for a terrorist group
• a well-known or prestigious person who acts as a representative, rather than an active member, of an organization. See also frontman.

• 4boldness and confidence of manner:he’s got a bit of talent and a lot of front

• 5 archaic a person’s face or forehead.

adjective

• 1of or at the front:the front cover of the magazine she was in the front yard

• 2 Phonetics (of a vowel sound) formed by raising the body of the tongue, excluding the blade and tip, toward the hard palate.

verb

• 1(of a building or piece of land) have the front facing or directed toward:the houses that front Beacon Street [no object]:we sold the uphill land that fronted on the road
• be or stand in front of:they reached the hedge fronting the garden
• archaic stand face to face with; confront:Tom fronted him with unwavering eyes

• 2 (usually be fronted) provide (something) with a front or facing of a particular type or material:a metal box fronted by an alloy panel [as adjective, in combination]: (-fronted)a glass-fronted bookcase

• 3lead or be the most prominent member in (an organization, activity, or group of musicians):the group is fronted by two girl singers
• present or host (a television or radio program).
• [no object] act as a front or cover for someone or something acting illegally or wishing to conceal something:he fronted for them in illegal property deals

• 4 Phonetics articulate (a vowel sound) with the tongue further forward: (as adjective fronted)all speakers use raised and fronted variants more in spontaneous speech

• 5 Linguistics place (a sentence element) at the beginning of a sentence instead of in its usual position, typically for emphasis or as feature of some dialects, as in horrible it was.

exclamation

• used to summon someone to the front or to command them to assume a forward-facing position, as in calling a bellhop to the front desk or giving orders to troops on parade:scouts, front and center!