up-front

1 of 2

adjective

ˌəp-ˈfrənt 

ˈəp-ˌfrənt

: being or coming in or at the front: such as

a(1)

: frank, forthright

(2)

: being in a conspicuous or leading position

b

: paid or payable in advance

c

: playing in a front line (as in football)

up front

2 of 2

adverb

1

: in or at the front

2

: in advance

3

: in an up-front manner : frankly, forthrightly

Synonyms

Adjective

• outspoken
• honest
• candid
• frank
• straightforward
• forthcoming
• forthright

Examples of up-front in a Sentence

Adjective

some hurt feelings could have been spared if he'd been more up-front about whom he was inviting to the party

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

In theory, the cities would eventually get their up-front costs back, while the Stars would keep the profits. —Kenny Jacoby, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2025

Farmers who leased their land made much less money but still avoided costs for irrigation water and operations on that part of their farm, gaining $1,100 per acre per year – with no up-front costs. —Anthony Kendall, The Conversation, 16 July 2025

Adverb

But many companies are still missing an important step: using behavioral and psychological data up front, before roles are filled. —Miriam Groom, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Tonga will be on the field when the Patriots want to go big up front, and Pharms has been a regular on defense. —Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 4 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1945, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

1937, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for up-front

• affront
• confront
• exeunt
• forefront
• lakefront
• manhunt
• sederunt
• battlefront
• oceanfront
• riverfront
• waterfront
• blunt