up-front

1 of 2

adjective

ˌəp-ˈfrənt 

ˈəp-ˌfrənt

variants or upfront

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

a(1)

: frank, forthright

were up-front about their suspicions

(2)

: being in a conspicuous or leading position

b

: paid or payable in advance

up-front cash

c

: playing in a front line (as in football)

up front

2 of 2

adverb

1

: in or at the front

chose a seat up front

2

: in advance

paid up front

3

: in an up-front manner : frankly, forthrightly

expressed his doubts up front

Synonyms of up-front

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

They were forced to cancel those dates and reschedule for spring 2026, losing tens of thousands of dollars in up-front costs and non-refundable fees. —Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2026

To prepare for thousands in up-front costs, a health savings account could be a good option for you. —Brittney Melton, NPR, 10 Apr. 2026

Adverb

But with or without him, the Steelers now have a young group full of mid-to-early round picks at every position up front. —Devon Henderson, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2026

The changes start up front, where, instead of a traditional instrument cluster, the dash is crowned by BMW’s Panoramic iDrive, a display that runs along the bottom of the windshield from A-pilar to A-pilar and shows all relevant vehicle info. —Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 24 Apr. 2026

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