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front

front

144 6.8
The line or area where opposing armies fight during a war
  • noun
  • /frʌnt/
: frente
  • More soldiers on both sides of the front were dying of flu than from bullets.
  • Western Front
  • Eastern Front
  • Russian Front

During the World War, the Persian front was active for four years.

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Examples

  • The familiar pattern of retreat on the home front was matched with reversals in foreign lands.

    Academic text (2011)
  • You've already served at the front.

  • OK, they want to attack France, but the Western Front is way too, like, well prepared.

  • We have orders to move back to the front immediately.

  • I had not run away from the front; I was right in it!

    Fiction book (2000)
  • We have two enemies on the Eastern Front and the Western Front.

  • We served together on the Ukrainian front.

  • Fresh troops moved to the front and the third attack pushed the Arabs back.

  • We are redeploying on this front to hold the choke point.

  • During World War I, soldiers faced each other on the front in fierce battles.

Synonyms

line
vsfront
322 8.1

A defended position where soldiers stand during fighting

refers more broadly to the area where opposing armies face one another
battlefield
vsfront
202 3.2

An area where soldiers fight during a war

is narrower, highlighting the facing line rather than the whole battle area
field
vsfront
201 6.5

An area where soldiers fight during a war

is more specific, meaning the line or area where armies face each other
front line
vsfront
  • Specialized
78 4.1

The area where enemy armies meet and fight

is more general, meaning the line or area where armies face each other
field of battle
vsfront
11 5.2

An area where soldiers fight in a war

is more about the confronting line than the entire battle ground
battle line
vsfront
  • Specialized
5 5.0

A line where opposing armies stand and fight

is broader, naming the whole line or area where armies face each other
battlefront
vsfront
3 5.8

The place where two armies face each other and fight

is the general line or area where opposing armies face each other
line of battle
vsfront
  • Archaic
2 8.1

A row of soldiers or ships arranged to fight the enemy

focuses on the meeting or boundary area rather than a specific formation

Antonyms

129 1.0

The back part of something, like a car or building

Idioms

272 2.3

At the front of a building or outside the main entrance

112 3.6

Payment made before work starts or words that are honest and direct

front and center
  • Informal
56 4.3

In a place where people notice it first

26 3.4

Ahead of others in a race, game, or area of work

To keep moving forward step by step despite problems

A matter that needs immediate attention and is very important

The main thing you are thinking about now

Nothing important or unusual is happening now after recent activity

Someone acts confidently and takes the lead

Compounds

∞ 1.0

At a place ahead of someone or something

∞ 1.0

Ahead of or facing something where people can see it

430 1.0

The main door people use to enter a building from the street

112 1.3

The first row of seats nearest the stage or screen that lets you see the action clearly

79 4.1

A person most likely to win a contest or election

front line
  • Specialized
78 4.1

The area where enemy armies meet and fight

75 3.5

A person or team leading a competition

74 1.0

A seat at the front of a car next to the driver

70 1.0

A piece of land in front of a house next to the street

62 2.0

A covered area at the front of a house where people can sit

62 4.3

The main place where people do the most important and risky work

27 3.6

The part at the forward side of something that you meet first, like a car's nose

25 1.2

A room at the front of a house where people sit, talk, and relax

24 1.0

A tooth at the front of the mouth used for cutting food

front-page news
  • Literature
22 2.7

News on a newspaper's front page that many people talk about

cold front
  • Specialized
21 3.3

A line of colder air moving into warmer air

The main door at the front of a building where people enter

12 7.9

A man who acts as the public leader while others secretly control things

11 4.9

People at home who work to support the country's soldiers during a war

10 4.2

A thing that needs the most attention right now

front end
  • Specialized
7 4.0

The part of a website or app that users see and use

A group of left parties that join to oppose fascism

An idea you think about before others

warm front
  • Specialized
2 3.7

A line where warmer air moves into cooler air

wave front
  • Specialized
2 6.1

A surface that joins points a wave reaches at the same time, like light or sound

A Palestinian left-wing group that carries out armed attacks against Israel

A rebel group in Sierra Leone that fought the government, took control of diamond mines and used child soldiers

front butt
  • Offensive
1 9.9

The lower front of the body above the private area that looks rounded like a small hill

1 3.7

A swimming stroke done face down where arms move alternately over the water and legs kick

1 3.7

People or groups who act together to show unity and reach a shared goal

occluded front
  • Specialized
1 7.5

A weather front when a cold front catches a warm front and lifts the warm air above the cold air

front matter
  • Specialized
1 4.6

Pages at the start of a book, like the title page and table of contents

front vowel
  • Specialized
1 6.5

A vowel sound made with the tongue near the front of the mouth, like in man

1 7.4

An opening at the front of something for easy access

A Palestinian political group that seeks major national change and sometimes uses armed attacks

1 8.2

A campaign where a candidate meets voters at the candidate's home instead of traveling

front bench
  • Jargon
1 6.5

Seats in parliament for government ministers or top opposition members

1 8.5

A woman who acts as the public face to hide real leaders or illegal actions

An armed Palestinian group formed in 1977 that attacked Israel

An armed group in southern Philippines seeking an independent Islamic state for the Moro people

polar front
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A line where very cold air from the poles meets warmer air and causes storms

1 7.0

An opening in a skirt or trousers with a hidden zipper

front projector
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A machine that shows pictures or video on a screen from the front

front bum
  • Offensive
1 9.9

The outer private parts of a girl or woman

A Palestinian armed group that split from al-Fatah in 1967 and attacked Israel

front matter
  • Texting
7.0

A block of information at the start of a digital file that gives title and date for website tools

front yer
  • Specialized
9.9

A small Cyrillic letter that shows a consonant is soft

7.7

Giving speeches and meeting supporters at your home instead of traveling to many places

front-projection TV
  • Specialized
6.1

A TV system that projects images onto a screen from the front

front-stall
  • Archaic
9.9

A metal plate that protects a horse's head in battle

A secret left-wing group in Honduras in the late 1980s that opposed United States involvement

A group in Honduras in the late 1980s that used violence to oppose United States involvement

A Turkish armed Islamist group that uses violence for political goals

A terrorist group started by Osama bin Laden in 1998 to unite armed Islamist groups in different countries

A far-left group in Turkey that attacks police and the army and opposes NATO and the United States

A Palestinian political group formed in 1967 that carried out armed attacks against Israel

A Palestinian group that supports left-wing revolution and uses political and armed action

A Palestinian political group that uses armed attacks for its goals

How Dangerous

war zone
61 3.8
battlefield
202 3.2
field
201 6.5
front
144 6.8
outpost
106 6.0

Surface Forms

front singular
fronts plural

Etymology

Front comes from the Latin word frons 'forehead' and then meant the forward part in battle, so in war the 'front' is the line or area where opposing armies face each other.