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Glite Dictionary
to cuss in front of

to cuss in front of

1 8.4
Say bad words in front of other people
  • phrasal verb
  • Offensive
translation icon : decir palabrotas delante de
  • Bear/Big Man: Don't cuss in front of Farrah.

Examples

  • He also cusses in front of children, which I do not condone.

    Blog text (28)

  • It was the first time Luke had ever cussed in front of him.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Mabel: DON'T CUSS IN FRONT OF THE YOUNGSTER, RED.

    Home Fries (1998)

  • Please don't cuss in front of the kids; it's not appropriate.

  • She reminded him not to cuss in front of clients during the meeting.

  • It's considered rude to cuss in front of adults at formal events.

Synonyms

to swear
vsto cuss in front of
  • Offensive
253 4.3

To use rude or offensive words, often when angry

is expressed openly near people even when considered inappropriate
to curse
vsto cuss in front of
  • Offensive
192 4.1

To say bad words in anger

is performed aloud before others even if it may offend them
to cuss
vsto cuss in front of
  • NSFW
30 8.1

To say swear words when angry or frustrated

is done aloud in front of others when it may be inappropriate
to turn the air blue
vsto cuss in front of
  • Offensive
9.9

To use swear words, often when angry

is about doing this where others can hear and be offended
to drop the f-bomb
vsto cuss in front of
  • Offensive
9.9

Say the rude word 'fuck', often in a situation where it surprises or offends people

is doing this aloud in others' presence where it may shock them
to drop an atomic F-bomb
vsto cuss in front of
  • Offensive
9.7

To use the F-word to shock people

is the act when performed openly around people who may object

Antonyms

to behave
747 1.0

To act in a proper or polite way

Surface Forms

cuss in front of infinitive
cussed in front of past
cussed in front of past participle
cussing in front of present participle
cusses in front of third person singular

Morphology

cuss + in + front + of

The phrase is compositionally built from 'cuss' (to use swear words) plus the locative/prepositional phrase 'in front of' (meaning 'in the presence of' someone), so the combined sense 'to swear in someone's presence' is directly derivable. The spatial-to-social extension of 'in front of' is common across languages and follows standard English usage, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should understand the MWE.

Etymology

Cuss in front of comes from a simple, literal image: to cuss is to say strong, rude words and to be in front of someone means they are right there listening. So the phrase means 'to use bad words where someone can hear', especially when this is not polite.