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

Sanitation workers driving front-end loaders collect the trash in the pit and dump it into shipping containers, which each hold twenty-five tons of waste. —Eric Lach, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024

Watch this 👀 ‘Unbelievable’: Two front-end loaders battle it out during a wild police pursuit in Georgia. —Daniel Wine, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024

Their solution was to send another front-end loader to chase it down, which resulted in a low-speed demolition derby. —Mark Price, Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2024

Documents stated after leaving the scene to inform the woman’s parents of her death, a highway safety officer with the department noticed Anderson’s Ford F-150 patrol vehicle had front-end damage. —The Arizona Republic, 20 Mar. 2024

Their injectable chip system includes multiple physiological sensors, front-end circuits, a microcontroller with a wireless radio system to send measurements, Bluetooth low-energy capability, and a rechargeable battery. —IEEE Spectrum, 12 Mar. 2024

The Heat is 6-4 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 5-4 on the back-end of those back-to-backs. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2024

Qualcomm also redesigned the RF front-end module offerings that are paired with the FastConnect 7900; together, these enable 50% RF power savings and, when paired with new High Band Simultaneous modules, also offer a 50% reduction in size on the PCB. —Anshel Sag, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024

The Heat is 6-3 on the front-end of back-to-backs and 4-4 on the back-end of those back-to-backs. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024

Noun

The double-overtime affair led to Herro playing a career-high 48 minutes, Adebayo logging a career-high 48 minutes and Butler finishing at a season-high 44 minutes on the front end of the Heat’s back-to-back, with another game on Wednesday against the Mavericks in Miami. —Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024

Here are the potential schedule changes If the plan is approved by May 15, the additional days will be tacked onto the front end of the next two school years. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 22 Mar. 2024

And that’s the front end of a back-to-back — the scrappy Bulls come to San Francisco on Thursday. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2024

There is a wireless charging pad at the front end and the transmission selector is the same column mounted lever found in the newer Chevrolets. —Sam Abuelsamid, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

That was a theme for the Bruins while making only two of 11 three-pointers in the second half and missing the front end of two one-and-one situations on the way to losing their five-point halftime advantage. —Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024

Long Beach went into the bonus with 12:05 left, but Tsohonis missed his second straight front end of a one-and-one situation and Crockrell followed with a jumper in transition to extend the lead to 61-49 with 10:45 left. —Dan Arritt, Orange County Register, 5 Mar. 2024

The car then went down a slightly descending dirt embankment before the car’s front end struck the tree on the east side of the highway, the CHP said. —Rosalio Ahumada, Sacramento Bee, 2 Feb. 2024

David Newcomb The officers found the Jeep with its front end crumpled and the Dodge resting upside down in a grassy ditch nearby. —Glenn E. Rice, Kansas City Star, 25 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1