1
a
: forehead
also
: the whole face
b
: external and often feigned appearance especially in the face of danger or adversity
2
3
: a side of a building
especially
: the side that contains the principal entrance
4
a
: the forward part or surface
b(1)
: frontage
(2)
: a beach promenade at a seaside resort
c
d
: the boundary between two dissimilar air masses
5
archaic
: beginning
6
a(1)
: a position ahead of a person or of the foremost part of a thing
(2)
—used as a call by a hotel desk clerk in summoning a bellhop
b
: a position of leadership or superiority
7
a
: a person, group, or thing used to mask the identity or true character or activity of the actual controlling agent
b
: a person who serves as the nominal head or spokesman of an enterprise or group to lend it prestige
fronted; fronting; fronts
1
: to have the front or principal side adjacent to something
2
a
: to act or serve as a cover or front (see front entry 1 sense 7a) for something or someone
… a new initiative targeting brothels and massage parlors fronting for sex trafficking rings.—
St. John Barned-Smith
St. John Barned-Smith
b
US, informal
: to assume a fake or false personality to conceal one's true identity and character
Don't front, don't put something out there that you feel isn't realistic and doesn't portray who you are.—Chloë Grace Moretz
Chloë Grace MoretzLook, we all know you got your heart broken. Stop fronting and write a love song.—Allison Keyes
Allison Keyes1
a
: confront
went to the woods because I wished … to front only the essential facts of life—H. D. Thoreau
H. D. Thoreau
b
: to appear before
daily fronted him in some fresh splendor—Alfred Tennyson
Alfred Tennyson2
a
: to be in front of
a lawn fronting the house
b
: to be the leader of (a musical group)
appeared as a soloist and fronted bands
3
: to face toward or have frontage on
the house fronts the street
4
: to supply a front to
fronted the building with bricks
5
a
: to articulate (a sound) with the tongue farther forward
b
: to move (a word or phrase) to the beginning of a sentence
6
basketball
: to play in front of (an opposing player) rather than between the player and the basket
7
: to give (someone) the money, material, etc. needed to do something : advance sense 7
She fronted them a loan to get the start-up going.
1
a
: of, relating to, or situated at the front
b
: acting as a front
front company
2
: articulated at or toward the front of the oral passage
front vowels
3
: constituting the first nine holes of an 18-hole golf course
front
adverb
Examples of front in a Sentence
Noun
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
Verb
The house fronts Main Street.
The house fronts on Main Street.
He is now fronting a different band.
He fronts a talk show.
Adjective
There's a small statue on the front lawn.
He keeps his wallet in his front pocket.
Recent Examples on the Web
Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Fact to know: A low-walled terrace added across the front of the home used original clinker brick to integrate new and existing materials.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2025
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2025
Downstairs, the living areas are fronted by sliding full-height glazing panels opening directly onto the terraces, with natural light and uninterrupted views across the bay to Split.
—Nielsen Dinwoodie, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Greta Cross, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Black drapes were unfurled near the front doors hours after his death.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for front
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Players such as Tuch, who emerged as one of the best two-way forwards in the NHL this season, and Zucker, a reliable veteran who gets to the front of the net and plays a no-nonsense game, are vital pieces to a winning team.
—Matthew Fairburn, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Fact to know: A low-walled terrace added across the front of the home used original clinker brick to integrate new and existing materials.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 18 Apr. 2025
Verb
The band formed in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and fronted by leather-loving singer Rob Halford released its debut album, Rocka Rolla, in 1974, followed by 1996’s Sad Wings of Destiny.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Apr. 2025
Downstairs, the living areas are fronted by sliding full-height glazing panels opening directly onto the terraces, with natural light and uninterrupted views across the bay to Split.
—Nielsen Dinwoodie, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Adjective
The same year, Pope Francis rode around Ecuador in a white Jeep Wrangler, featuring a front glass roof with open sides, allowing the pontiff to easily wave from all sides.
—Greta Cross, USA Today, 22 Apr. 2025
Black drapes were unfurled near the front doors hours after his death.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for front
Cite this Entry
“Front.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/front. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
front
1 of 3 noun1
: outer often pretended appearance
put up a good front
2
: a region in which active warfare is taking place
3
: the forward part or surface
the front of a shirt
the front of the house
4
: the boundary between two dissimilar air masses
5
: someone or something that hides the true identity of those who are in control
a front for organized crime
front
2 of 3 verb
: to have the front or face toward
the cottage fronting on the lake
the house fronts the street
front
3 of 3 adjective
: of, relating to, or situated at the front
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