frontal

play

noun fron·tal \ ˈfrən-tᵊl \

Definition of frontal

[Middle English frontel, from Medieval Latin frontellum, diminutive of Latin front-, frons]

:a cloth hanging over the front of an altar

2 :facade 1

Recent Examples of frontal from the Web

Later on, there are enemies with personal shields that prevent direct frontal attacks and teleporting enemies that resist your ability to easily flank them.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a great introduction to tactical RPGs," 28 Aug. 2017
The weekend remains hot but relatively dry, and there's little change in the long-range weather data as Friday's frontal boundary is still expected to stall across the Carolinas all the way through Monday for the solar eclipse.

— al conklin wbtv, charlotteobserver, "Heat index today in Charlotte could be between 103 and 105 degrees," 18 Aug. 2017
In fact, the frontal obscured roadway figure is only fractionally worse than the number for the Honda Accord, a car known for its excellent outward visibility.

— alexander stoklosa, Car and Driver, "2017 Mazda 6," 13 Aug. 2017
Once openings appeared that were large enough to move a soldier through, the main frontal assault could begin.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "How to Storm a Castle," 10 Aug. 2017
Through tonight: The stubborn frontal clouds are out of here.

— ian livingston, Washington Post, "PM Update: Delightful this evening, and warm and pleasant Wednesday," 8 Aug. 2017
Also, Full Frontal has been nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series—a nomination that the show also received last year but lost.

— devon ivie, Glamour, "Samantha Bee Broke a Major Emmys Milestone With Her 'Full Frontal' Nomination," 13 July 2017
In a recent episode of her political satire show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS, Bee blasted Republican efforts to block federal funds to Planned Parenthood for one year.

— tierney mcafee, PEOPLE.com, "Hillary Clinton Embraces Her ‘Nasty Woman’ Side as She Models Samantha Bee’s T-Shirt to Support Planned Parenthood," 11 July 2017
A weak frontal boundary moving in from the north took its time passing through the area, which led to several hours of mostly cloudy skies.

— greg porter, Washington Post, "PM Update: Pleasant weather tonight. Heat and humidity make a return on Sunday.," 3 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'frontal.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of frontal

14th century

frontal

adjective

Definition of frontal

1 :of, relating to, or adjacent to the forehead or the frontal bone

2 a :of, relating to, or situated at the front

b :directed against the front or at the main point or issue :direct

frontal assault

3 :parallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane

4 :of or relating to a meteorological front

—

frontally

play \ˈfrən-tᵊl-ē\ adverb

See frontal defined for English-language learners

See frontal defined for kids

Examples of frontal in a Sentence

most cars have the engine in the frontal part

Recent Examples of frontal from the Web

Soderbergh can speak with authority on the subject: over nearly three decades, his films have ranged from eclectic indie projects (Schizopolis, Full Frontal, Bubble) to box office hits (Ocean's Eleven, Magic Mike).

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Logan Lucky is an Ocean’s Eleven for the red states," 16 Aug. 2017
Frontal assaults, flanking maneuvers, and ambushes—these were the simple tactics employed in pitched battles from the Battle of Marathon in 490 BC continuing through the time of the Roman Empire, into the Middle Ages, and beyond.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "How to Storm a Castle," 10 Aug. 2017
The fact that Flake chose to launch this sort of frontal assault on the president and his followers, inviting a certain primary challenge, illustrates the intra-party tensions just under the surface in many parts of the country.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "The Mess in Washington Could Soon Drive Republicans Into Rebellion Against Trump," 2 Aug. 2017
And here's another frontal view, just for the hell of it.

— charles manning, Cosmopolitan, "Sexy Harry Potter Lingerie Now Exists," 31 July 2017
Just this morning, Hillary Clinton hopped on the bandwagon, promoting a T-shirt from the shop of the TBS to benefit both comedian Samantha Bee’s Full Frontal program and Planned Parenthood.

— alexandra desanctis, National Review, "Planned Parenthood’s Lavish Private Donations," 13 July 2017
But, as noted by Samantha Bee on last week’s episode of Full Frontal, that has changed.

— christopher rosen, EW.com, "All the times Donald Trump has called the media 'fake news' on Twitter," 27 June 2017
There are actually myriad ways to rock this trend — from more modest sheer skirts that show off a bit of boy-short undies to full-on frontal exposure for the more daring types (looking at you, RiRi).

— kaleigh fasanella, Teen Vogue, "How Celebrities Wear Underwear on the Red Carpet," 25 June 2017
The magazine quickly grew more comfortable with full-frontal nudity, but the question of whether to show an actual erection was…

— matthew rettenmund, Esquire, "A Penis on Every Page: The Rise and Fall of Playgirl," 24 June 2017

Origin and Etymology of frontal

New Latin frontalis, from Latin front-, frons

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1656

See Words from the same year

frontal Synonyms

Synonyms

anterior, fore, forward, front, frontward (or frontwards)

Antonyms

aft, after, hind, hinder, hindmost, posterior, rear, rearward

Related Words

ventral

Near Antonyms

dorsal

FRONTAL Defined for English Language Learners

frontal

adjective

Definition of frontal for English Language Learners

: relating to the front of something : directed at the front
: relating to or showing the front of the human body

FRONTAL Defined for Kids

frontal

play

adjective fron·tal \ ˈfrən-tᵊl \

Definition of frontal for Students

:of or directed at a front

a frontal attack

Medical Dictionary

frontal

play

adjective fron·tal \ ˈfrənt-ᵊl \

medical Definition of frontal

1 :of, relating to, or adjacent to the forehead or the frontal bone

2 :of, relating to, or situated at the front or anteriorly

3 :parallel to the main axis of the body and at right angles to the sagittal plane

a frontal plane

—

frontally

play \-ᵊl-ē\ adverb

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Recent Examples of frontal from the Web

First Known Use of frontal

frontal

Definition of frontal

frontally

Examples of frontal in a Sentence

Recent Examples of frontal from the Web

Origin and Etymology of frontal

frontal Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

FRONTAL Defined for English Language Learners

frontal

Definition of frontal for English Language Learners

FRONTAL Defined for Kids

frontal

Definition of frontal for Students

Medical Dictionary

frontal

medical Definition of frontal

frontally

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