frank

1 of 5

adjective

1
: marked by free, forthright, and sincere expression
a frank reply
2
a
: unmistakably evident
frank materialism
b
: clinically evident and unmistakable
frank pus
frankness noun

frank

2 of 5

verb

franked; franking; franks

transitive verb

1
a
: to mark (a piece of mail) with an official signature or sign indicating the right of the sender to free mailing
b
: to mail free
c
: to affix to (mail) a stamp or a marking indicating the payment of postage
2
: to enable to pass or go freely or easily
frankable adjective
franker noun

frank

3 of 5

noun (1)

1
a
: the signature of the sender on a piece of franked mail serving in place of a postage stamp
b
: a mark or stamp on a piece of mail indicating postage paid
c
: a franked envelope
2
: the privilege of sending mail free of charge

frank

4 of 5

noun (2)

Frank

5 of 5

noun (3)

: a member of a West Germanic tribal confederacy that entered the Roman provinces in a.d. 253, occupied the Netherlands and most of Gaul, and established themselves along the Rhine

Did you know?

The word frank comes from the name of the Franks, a West Germanic people who lived long ago. In the early Middle Ages the Franks were in power in France. (It was from them that the country got its name, in Latin Francia.) The Franks eventually merged with the earlier Gaulish and Roman inhabitants, and their name (Francus in Latin) lost its ethnic sense and referred to any inhabitant of Francia who was free, that is, not a slave or bondman. As an adjective, francus came to mean simply “free.” From the English adjective frank, which means “free” or “forthright,” we get the verb frank, which means “to mark mail with an official sign so that it may be mailed free.”

Choose the Right Synonym for frank

frank, candid, open, plain mean showing willingness to tell what one feels or thinks.

frank stresses lack of shyness or secretiveness or of evasiveness from considerations of tact or expedience.

frank discussions

candid suggests expression marked by sincerity and honesty especially in offering unwelcome criticism or opinion.

a candid appraisal

open implies frankness but suggests more indiscretion than frank and less earnestness than candid.

open in saying what they think

plain suggests outspokenness and freedom from affectation or subtlety in expression.

plain talk

Examples of frank in a Sentence

Adjective our ballet teacher is very frank about telling her students whether she thinks they have the talent for a career in dance
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Bollywood A-list star Rani Mukerji was in refreshingly candid form at Mumbai’s FICCI Frames media industry conference, proffering frank opinions on the Indian theatrical business. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 This ensures that the attorney can work cooperatively with the client and the accountant without fear of having the accountant have to testify about their conversations, and render legal advice based on a frank and forthcoming exchange of information. Guinevere Moore, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Making that happen requires frank conversations, including using the term palliative psychiatry. Anand Kumar, STAT, 27 Feb. 2024 Through forums, training and frank discussions, CAIOs illuminate AI capabilities and limitations for executives and staff alike. Mark Minevich, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 The survey elicited frank responses from more than 3,600 women about what in a man’s home would be a dating dealbreaker. Marni Jameson, The Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2024 And there’s still, just to be quite frank with you, this is the beginning of a process. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 8 Feb. 2024 These competing priorities between patients and scientists can escalate into frank tension. Rachael Bedard, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2024 Chris Foerster, who was on Mike Shanahan’s Washington staff when Kyle was the offensive coordinator, said no one is immune from a frank assessment of their performance. Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 15 Jan. 2024
Noun
Yet the former mayor is also known for his frank and, at times, sexist comments, notes Bloomberg. Lionel Lim, Fortune, 23 Nov. 2023 The franks are put on Nolan’s hot dog buns, which are also totally vegan-friendly. Alex Darus, cleveland, 3 Aug. 2023 Outside of franks, the menu also includes Hartville potato chips and beer onion dip for $3.50 FrankieLynn can function outside of its cart. Alex Darus, cleveland, 3 Aug. 2023 That means for the 63 hot dogs and buns Chestnut gobbled down last year, the calories of the franks would have equaled 10,710 and the buns added another 8,190 calories — for a grand total of 18,900 calories consumed. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 3 July 2023 Nathan's natural casing beef franks also include 16 grams of total fat and 480 milligrams of sodium per dog — so one hot dog accounts for about 21% of your daily recommended values for each. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 3 July 2023 Joey Chestnut waited out a rain delay, then got another win at Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, downing 62 franks and buns in 10 minutes. Mark Heim | Mheim@al.com, al, 4 July 2023 With 63 franks consumed last year, Chestnut's total fat and sodium intake would have equalled 1,008 grams and 30,240 milligrams, respectively. Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 3 July 2023 Irish immigrant James Mullen triumphed, with 13 franks, and an annual tradition was born. Marisa Iati, Anchorage Daily News, 3 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frank.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Verb, and Noun (1)

Middle English, free, from Anglo-French franc, from Medieval Latin francus, from Late Latin Francus Frank

Noun (3)

Middle English, partly from Old English Franca; partly from Anglo-French Franc, from Late Latin Francus, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German Franko Frank, Old English Franca

First Known Use

Adjective

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1701, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (1)

1713, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1904, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of frank was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near frank

Cite this Entry

“Frank.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frank. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

frank

1 of 2 adjective
ˈfraŋk
: free in speaking one's feelings and opinions
frankness noun

Frank

2 of 2 noun
: a member of a Germanic people living in ancient Gaul
Frankish
ˈfraŋ-kish
adjective

Medical Definition

frank

adjective
: clinically evident
frank pus
frank gout

Biographical Definition

Frank 1 of 2

biographical name (1)

ˈfraŋk How to pronounce Frank (audio)
ˈfräŋk
Anne 1929–1945 German-born diarist during the Holocaust

Frank

2 of 2

biographical name (2)

Joachim 1940–     American (German-born) biochemist and biophysicist

More from Merriam-Webster on frank

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!