frontier

noun

fron·tier | \ ˌfrən-ˈtir

, ˈfrən-ˌtir, frän-ˈtir, ˈfrän-ˌtir

Definition of frontier

1a : a border between two countries the frontier between Canada and the U.S.

b obsolete : a stronghold on a frontier

2a : a region that forms the margin of settled or developed territory were sent on an expedition to explore the western frontier

b : the farthermost limits of knowledge or achievement in a particular subject frontiers in immunology

c : a line of division between different or opposed things the frontiers separating science and the humanities— R. W. Clark

d : a new field for exploitative or developmental activity … the brain lies before us as one of the last scientific frontiers here on earth.— Robert Klitzman

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Examples of frontier in a Sentence

the frontier between Canada and the U.S. They were sent on an expedition to explore the western frontier.

Recent Examples on the Web

Access is by Cessna from the airstrip at Shell, a steamy frontier town on the edge of the Amazon, and flights are impossible in rain, so patience is required on entry and exit. — Alex Postman, Condé Nast Traveler, "28 Places Our Travel Specialists Say You Should Go in 2019," 17 Dec. 2018 That, analysts and business leaders say, raises the possibility of tariffs, worker shortages and long frontier delays, including for sensitive products such as food and medicines. — Max Colchester, WSJ, "U.K.’s May Delays Brexit Vote in Face of Broad Opposition," 11 Dec. 2018 Indeed, many of the vignettes found in this fictionalized version of the American West are beautiful, and many of the real-world experiences of vagabonds and frontier folk are distilled into some exceptional arcs. — Daniel Starkey, Ars Technica, "Red Dead Redemption II review: Getting muddy in the wide-open frontier," 25 Oct. 2018 In neighboring Myanmar, the frontier regions are dominated by ethnic minority groups, but underdevelopment and conflict make opportunities scarce. — Johnson Lai, Fox News, "Statelessness a hurdle for some rescued Thai boys," 16 July 2018 Later in front of the House of the United States, Maggie Blansett, a local performer dressed as Betsy Ross, played frontier songs on an autoharp. — sandiegouniontribune.com, "July 5, 1976: San Diego celebrates U.S. Bicentennial," 5 July 2018 Colonists rebelled against militarized border controls Let’s set the Wayback Machine to 1763, when a British proclamation imposed a frontier line between the official colonies and Indian territories west of the Appalachian Mountains. — Peter Andreas, Washington Post, "Breaking border laws is as American as it gets," 3 July 2018 In simple frontier language, the budding but unpolished genius quickly demonstrated a unique ability to use embellishment, hyperbole, satire, caricature, parody, mock-flattery, and ridicule to flay bare essential truth. — Gregory Crouch, Time, "Mark Twain Claimed He Got His Pen Name From a Riverboat Captain. He May Have Actually Gotten It in a Saloon," 19 June 2018 Intellectuals on the left have long argued that the melting pot is a myth, as are beliefs about the settlement of the frontier. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "Beyond MAGA Hats," 23 Jan. 2019

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