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

• candid
• direct
• forthcoming
• forthright
• foursquare
• frank
• free-spoken
• freehearted
• honest
• open
• openhearted
• out-front
• outspoken
• plain
• plainspoken
• straight
• straightforward
• unguarded
• unreserved

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

Six-plus hours in a salon chair and a couple hundred dollars are the up-front costs for a trendy protective style that will last weeks and cut down your hair routine. —Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 24 June 2025

And while recovering methane is ultimately profitable over time, the margins aren’t often big enough to make the up-front investment of better pipes, monitoring equipment, or scrubbers worthwhile for them. —Umair Irfan, Wired News, 21 June 2025

Adverb

Once inside there’s more than enough space to comfortably fit four with a dedicated bin for small luggage up front within eyesight of all occupants. —Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 21 June 2025

A little bit faster, hopefully better on short ovals, better on qualifying up front and defending moves or overtaking. —Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 20 June 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