up-front

1 of 2

adjective

ˌəp-ˈfrənt 

ˈəp-ˌfrənt

variants or upfront

: being or coming in or at the front: such as

a(1)

: frank, forthright

were up-front about their suspicions

(2)

: being in a conspicuous or leading position

b

: paid or payable in advance

up-front cash

c

: playing in a front line (as in football)

up front

2 of 2

adverb

1

: in or at the front

chose a seat up front

2

: in advance

paid up front

3

: in an up-front manner : frankly, forthrightly

expressed his doubts up front

Synonyms of up-front

Adjective

• outspoken
• honest
• candid
• frank
• straightforward
• forthcoming
• forthright

Examples of up-front in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

This Internxt Cloud Storage 20TB lifetime plan offers a high-capacity storage solution for a one-time up-front payment. —Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026

The up-front cost of artificial turf is greater than that for natural grass. —David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 28 Apr. 2026

Adverb

The backstop, who was set to become a free agent after the World Series, will receive $2 million up front. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026

East Side Storage has promised to pay at least $27 million in property taxes over the course of those 20 years and pay between $1 million and $2 million in community benefits up front, as well as $50,000 in annual scholarships throughout the term of the project. —Sofi Zeman may 2, Kansas City Star, 2 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1945, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for up-front

• affront
• confront
• exeunt
• forefront
• lakefront
• manhunt
• sederunt
• battlefront
• oceanfront
• riverfront
• waterfront
• blunt