front-end

1 of 2

adjective

ˈfrənt-ˌend 

1

: relating to, occurring in, or required at the beginning of an undertaking or business transaction

no front-end charge at the time of investment

He pays close attention to financial matters and can speak the language of "front-end money," "back-end money" and the rest of it.

—Erik Hedegaard

compare back-end sense 1

2

computing : visible to the user of a device or service

a front-end application/interface

compare back-end sense 2

front end

2 of 2

noun

plural front ends

1

: the front part or section of something

Soon the front end of the ship began to go down and down, faster and faster—till the boat looked almost as though it were standing on its head.

—Hugh Lofting

2

computing

a

: a unit in a computer system devoted to controlling the data communications link between terminals and the main computer and often to the preliminary processing of data

b

: a software interface (such as a graphical user interface) designed to enable user-friendly interaction with a computer

… you'll want to use this well-designed, easy-to-use front end for Windows' obscure command-line tools.

—Edward Mendelson

compare back end sense 3

3

: the initial part or period of a business arrangement or financial undertaking

Once a record company has sunk a lot of money on the front end of a project, with big-name producers and an expensive video, she says, "They're afraid of spending money on anything else."

—Mimi Valdés

In sum, the initiative aims to force … residents to pay more of their own fire protection expenses, and to pay those expenses on the front end.

—David Sirota

compare back end sense 2

Examples of front-end in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

While students already often qualify for additional aid to cover such expenses, the university said in a news release that the new guarantee would eliminate financial uncertainty on the front-end. —Courtney Astolfi, cleveland, 14 Sep. 2023

The following day, Harris Rebar Placing ironworkers used a crane to install a rebar column at the northwest corner of what was to be the front-end building housing the start of the PIP-II linear accelerator. —Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023

The vehicle had heavy front-end damage, and the driver pulled the vehicle onto the curb after striking the debris. —cleveland, 2 Sep. 2023

Both the coupe and convertible add canards to the front bumper, which are meant to balance front-end lift at higher speeds. —Jack Fitzgerald, Car and Driver, 15 Aug. 2023

Due to the crash, the truck should have front-end damage. —Tony Roberts, Baltimore Sun, 15 Aug. 2023

As much as Bochy needs another front-end pitcher, and a rotation piece is surely coming, the bullpen is his albatross. —Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 27 July 2023

During the company’s launch event for the Tesla Semi in 2017, Musk teased the announcement of the forthcoming vehicle with an early concept image featuring a much more Semi-style front-end. —Jon Porter, The Verge, 20 July 2023

That’s the beauty of using generative AI in this front-end manner. —Lance Eliot, Forbes, 17 July 2023

Noun

The butt, counterintuitively, comes from the front end. —Robert F. Moss, Southern Living, 6 Sep. 2023

In the end, funding these services on the front end is less expensive — in both financial and moral terms — than the cost of not investing in these services. —Will Stewart, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Sep. 2023

The changes to the front end also include larger air vents in the bumper and give the Q8 a similar look to the electric Q8 e-tron. —Car and Driver, 5 Sep. 2023

With heavy front end damage, the driver of the Cherokee took off continuing westbound on Fairmount and was later identified with the use of Flock Safety cameras as a Garfield Heights man, 39. —Thomas Jewell, cleveland, 12 Aug. 2023

This year’s squad returns only one starter to an offensive line that surrendered 43 sacks last fall and zero starters on the front end of its 4-3 defensive alignment. —Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2023

After slamming into the wall backwards, the front end of his Toyota smacked it at such a G-force that raised safety concerns about the Next Gen cars, the AP said. —Robert Higgs, cleveland, 29 Aug. 2023

By the time the trooper arrived, firefighters had cut the roof off the Jaguar and extinguished a small fire in the front end of the sedan, according to the report. —Jeremy C. Fox, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Aug. 2023

After slamming into the wall backwards, the front end of his Toyota smacked it at such a G-force that raised safety concerns about the Next Gen cars. —Mark Heim | [e-mail], al, 28 Aug. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1