front

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front / frənt/ • n. 1. the side or part of an object that presents itself to view or that is normally seen or used first; the most forward part of something: a page at the front of the book had been torn out he sealed the envelope and wrote on the front. ∎  [in sing.] the position directly ahead of someone or something; the most forward position or place: she quickly turned her head to face the front. ∎  the forward-facing part of a person's body, on the opposite side to their back. ∎  the part of a garment covering this: oatmeal slopped from the tray on to his shirt front. ∎ inf. a woman's bust or cleavage. ∎  any face of a building, esp. that of the main entrance: the west front of the cathedral. ∎ chiefly Brit. short for seafront or waterfront. 2. the foremost line or part of an armed force; the furthest position that an army has reached and where the enemy is or may be engaged: his regiment was immediately sent to the front. ∎  the direction toward which a line of troops faces when formed. ∎  a particular formation of troops for battle. ∎  a particular situation or sphere of operation: there was some good news on the jobs front. ∎  [often in names] an organized political group: the Palestinian Liberation Front. ∎  Meteorol. the forward edge of an advancing mass of air. See cold front, occluded front, warm front. 3. [in sing.] an appearance or form of behavior assumed by a person to conceal their genuine feelings: she put on a brave front. ∎  a person or organization serving as a cover for subversive or illegal activities: the CIA identified the company as a front for a terrorist group. ∎  a well-known or prestigious person who acts as a representative, rather than an active member, of an organization. See also frontman. 4. boldness and confidence of manner: he's got a bit of talent and a lot of front. 5. archaic a person's face or forehead. • adj. 1. of or at the front: the front cover of the magazine she was in the front yard. 2. Phonet. (of a vowel sound) formed by raising the body of the tongue, excluding the blade and tip, toward the hard palate. • v. [tr.] 1. (of a building or piece of land) have the front facing or directed toward: the houses that front Beacon Street | [intr.] we sold the uphill land that fronted on the road. ∎  be or stand in front of: they reached the hedge fronting the garden. ∎ archaic stand face to face with; confront: Tom fronted him with unwavering eyes. 2. (usu. be fronted) provide (something) with a front or facing of a particular type or material: a metal box fronted by an alloy panel | [as adj. , in comb.] (-fronted) a glass-fronted bookcase. 3. lead or be the most prominent member in (an organization, activity, or group of musicians): the group is fronted by two girl singers. ∎  present or host (a television or radio program). ∎  [intr.] act as a front or cover for someone or something acting illegally or wishing to conceal something: he fronted for them in illegal property deals. 4. Phonet. articulate (a vowel sound) with the tongue further forward: [as adj.] (fronted) all speakers use raised and fronted variants more in spontaneous speech. 5. Linguistics place (a sentence element) at the beginning of a sentence instead of in its usual position, typically for emphasis or as feature of some dialects, as in horrible it was. • interj. used to summon someone to the front or to command them to assume a forward-facing position, as in calling a bellhop to the front desk or giving orders to troops on parade: scouts, front and center! PHRASES: in front 1. in a position just ahead of or further forward than someone or something else: the car in front stopped suddenly. ∎  in the lead in a game or contest: the Reds were in front until the eighth inning. 2. on the part or side that normally first presents itself to view: a house with a wide porch in front. in front of 1. in a position just ahead or at the front part of someone or something else: the lawn in front of the house. ∎  in a position facing someone or something: she sat in front of the mirror. 2. in the presence of: the teacher didn't want his authority challenged in front of the class. out front at or to the front; in front: two station wagons stopped out front. ∎  in the auditorium of a theater. up front 1. at or near the front: the floor plan has an open living area up front. 2. in advance: every fee must be paid up front. 3. open and direct; frank: I vowed to be up front with her.DERIVATIVES: fron·ting / ˈfrənting/ n. front·less adj. front·ward / -wərd/ adj. & adv. front·wards / -wərdz/ adv.

front.
1. A surface feature of the sea caused by relatively sharp changes in either temperature or salinity. Usually the temperature differences are small, a degree or so, but occasionally, along the boundaries of fast-flowing currents, they can be as high as 5 or 6 °C (9–10 °F). Since the density of sea water is determined by both temperature and salinity, the denser water (cooler or saltier) tends to be sliding beneath the lighter water. So the surface water tends to be converging towards the front, but divergent fronts, where the water tends to be flowing outwards away from the front, can also be formed.

Fronts tend to be maintained dynamically along the edges of current flows, and can be generated by both local and large-scale mechanisms. One of the smaller-scale processes is the effect of a gentle wind blowing over the surface of a calm sea. This generates counter-rotating cylinders of water in the upper few metres that are called Langmuir cells. These cells lie parallel to the wind direction, with a convergent front along one side and a divergent front along the other. Windrows and slicks form along the convergent front, as any floating debris and plankton tends to be accumulated. In coastal waters tidal fronts form which are generated by the ebb and flow of the tide. At shallow depths the friction between the tidal currents and the seabed keeps the overlying water uniformly mixed, but there is a critical depth at which the mixing no longer extends all the way to the surface and here a tidal front develops. So on one side of such a tidal front the water is thermally stratified whereas on the other side the water temperature is uniform top to bottom. At still larger scales, mesoscale eddies and rings that may be tens to hundreds of kilometres across are bounded by meandering fronts, along which there tend to be quite strong local surface currents. Following around the meanders the surface waters may tend to sink (where the water is turning clockwise around the meander in the northern hemisphere), or create an upwelling. So not only does buoyant material tend to accumulate along fronts, but also, where nutrient-rich water is brought to the surface, marine plant productivity is high. Since both phytoplankton and animal plankton tend to accumulate along fronts, they attract predators large and small, including turtles, marlin and even whales. Large currents like the Gulf Stream, which are transporting warm (or cold) water from one region to another, are bounded by a complex of meandering fronts with quite large current shears across them. The breaking away of these meanders from the main flow of the current is the genesis of some of the eddies and rings.

See also antarctic convergence.
2. The forward edge of an advancing mass of cold or warm air.

See marine meteorology.

M. V. Angel

front n.
1. the foremost line or part of an armed force; the furthest position that an army has reached and where the enemy is or may be engaged: his regiment was immediately sent to the front.

2. the direction toward which a line of troops faces when formed.

3. a particular formation of troops for battle.

4. a particular situation or sphere of operation: there was some good news on the western front.

5. often in names an organized political group: the Palestinian Liberation Front.

6. a person or organization serving as a cover for subversive or illegal activities: the CIA identified the company as a front for a terrorist group.

7. a well-known or prestigious person who acts as a representative, rather than an active member, of an organization.
exclam. used to summon someone to the front or to command them to assume a forward-facing position, as in giving orders to troops on parade: soldiers, front and center!
frontward adj. & adv. frontwards adv.

front in meteorology, zone of transition between adjacent air masses . If a cold air mass is advancing to replace a warmer one, their mutual boundary is termed a cold front; if the reverse, then the boundary is termed a warm front, whereas a stationary front indicates that no relative advance of either air mass is occurring (see illustration) . An occluded front is one in which a warm front has been completely undermined by cold air and is therefore positioned aloft. Since warmer air always overrides colder, denser air, the frontal boundary is sloped closer to the horizontal than the vertical. A mature cyclone usually involves all of the frontal types. The recognition of atmospheric fronts and their relative importance to weather forecasting came about only at the beginning of the 20th cent. as a result of publications by the meteorologists Vilhelm and Jakob Bjerknes .

front The boundary or boundary region that separates air masses of different origins and characteristics. Temperature gradients in any horizontal surface are large through the front. Different types of front are distinguished according to the nature of the air masses separated by the front, the direction of the front's advance, and the stage of development. The term was first devised during World War I by the Norwegian school of meteorologists (headed by Professor V. Bjerknes). See also anafront; cold front; katafront; occluded front; polar front; and warm front.

front Boundary or boundary region separating air masses of different origins and characteristics. Temperature gradients in any horizontal surface are large through the front. Different types of front are distinguished according to the nature of the air masses separated by the front, the direction of the front's advance, and the stage of development. The term was first devised during the First World War by the Norwegian school of meteorologists (headed by Prof. V. Bjerknes). See also ANAFRONT; COLD FRONT; WARM FRONT; KATAFRONT; OCCLUDED FRONT; and POLAR FRONT.

front In meteorology, the boundary between two air masses of different temperatures or different densities. Cold fronts occur when a relatively cold and dense air mass moves under warmer air. With a warm front, warmer air is pushing over colder air and replacing it. An occluded front consists of two fronts: a cold front overtakes a warm or stationary front. In a stationary front, air masses remain in the same areas and the weather is mostly unchanged.

front (arch.) forehead, face XIII; foremost part XIV. — (O)F. front forehead :- L. frōns, front-.
Hence frontage (rare before XIX), frontal adj. XVII. So frontal †ornament for the forehead; covering for the front of an altar. XIV. — OF. frontel — L. frontāle. frontier †front part XIV; boundary of a country XV. — (O)F. frontière.

front.
1. Façade of a building, as in garden-front, but especially the most important façade, e.g. street-front.

2. East end of a church.

front •account, amount, count, fount, miscount, mount, no-account, surmount •headcount • viscount • paramount •tantamount •don't, won't, wont •anoint, appoint, conjoint, joint, outpoint, point, point-to-point •standpoint •cashpoint, flashpoint •checkpoint • endpoint • breakpoint •needlepoint • midpoint • pinpoint •vantage point • knifepoint •strongpoint • viewpoint • gunpoint •counterpoint • punt •affront, blunt, brunt, bunt, confront, cunt, front, Granth, grunt, hunt, mahant, runt, shunt, stunt, up-front •exeunt • manhunt • headhunt •witch-hunt • seafront • beachfront •shopfront •forefront, storefront •waterfront