1. One's personal appearance, especially an impressive appearance. "There's a ghee (fellow) with a perfect front for the shake (extortion). Give him a white tin (silver badge) and he'd pass for law (a policeman) anywhere." 2. A business office or other establishment used to cover up illegal activities. 3. An appearance of, and a reputation for, viciousness that inspires terror. "Some dude (fellow) with a few under his belt (several murder to his credit) is the front a shylock (loan shark) setup needs to lineup (control) the rabbits (borrowers)." 4. A suit of clothes; a wardrobe. 5. The warden's office; the administration building. 6. Any person who will speak or act for an underworld character when needed; a criminal lawyer.

- american underworld dictionary - 1950
In meteorology, a front is the boundary between two air masses, usually of differing temperatures. Fronts are charactarized by low pressure, clouds, and often precipitation, although some fronts are marked by nothing but a wind shift. Many fronts are given energy, and motion, by the jet stream.

There are several types of fronts. When warm air is displacing cold air, the front is a warm front. A cold front is when cold air is displacing warm air. Cold fronts usually follow a day or two behind warm fronts. When a cold front meets a warm front, it creates an occluded front, and the cold front lifts the warm air entirely off the ground. If the front is not moving at all, it is a stationary front.

Hip Hop slang:
To pretend to be tough or hard. Less common is to pretend to know something you don't.
"Don't front, ya know I gotcha open"-Black Moon
In plural form can refer to gold tooth covers, especially the crazy diamond fanged ones that members of Wu-Tang Clan wear.

Front (?), n. [F. frant forehead, L. frons, frontis; perh. akin to E. brow.]

1.

The forehead or brow, the part of the face above the eyes; sometimes, also, the whole face.

Bless'd with his father's front, his mother's tongue.
Pope.

Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front.
Shak.

His front yet threatens, and his frowns command.
Prior.

2.

The forehead, countenance, or personal presence, as expressive of character or temper, and especially, of boldness of disposition, sometimes of impudence; seeming; as, a bold front; a hardened front.

With smiling fronts encountering.
Shak.

The inhabitants showed a bold front.
Macaulay.

3.

The part or surface of anything which seems to look out, or to be directed forward; the fore or forward part; the foremost rank; the van; -- the opposite to back or rear; as, the front of a house; the front of an army.

Had he his hurts before?
Ay, on the front.
Shak.

4.

A position directly before the face of a person, or before the foremost part of a thing; as, in front of un person, of the troops, or of a house.

5.

The most conspicuous part.

The very head and front of my offending.
Shak.

6.

That which covers the foremost part of the head: a front piece of false hair worn by women.

Like any plain Miss Smith's, who wears s front.
Mrs. Browning.

7.

The beginning. "Summer's front." Shak.

Bastioned front (Mil.), a curtain connerting two half bastions. --
Front door, the door in the front wall of a building, usually the principal entrance. --
Front of fortification, the works constructed upon any one side of a polygon. Farrow. --
Front of operations, all that part of the field of operations in front of the successive positions occupied by the army as it moves forward. Farrow. --
To come to the front, to attain prominence or leadership.

 

© Webster 1913


Front, a.

Of or relating to the front or forward part; having a position in front; foremost; as, a front view.

 

© Webster 1913


Front, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Fronted; p. pr. & vb. n. Fronting.]

1.

To oppose face to face; to oppose directly; to meet in a hostile manner.

You four shall front them in the narrow lane.
Shak.

2.

To appear before; to meet.

[Enid] daily fronted him
In some fresh splendor.
Tennyson.

3.

To face toward; to have the front toward; to confront; as, the house fronts the street.

And then suddenly front the changed reality.
J. Morley.

4.

To stand opposed or opposite to, or over against as, his house fronts the church.

5.

To adorn in front; to supply a front to; as, to front a house with marble; to front a head with laurel.

Yonder walls, that pertly front your town.
Shak.

 

© Webster 1913


Front, v. t.

To have or turn the face or front in any direction; as, the house fronts toward the east.

 

© Webster 1913


Front (?), n.

1. (Fort.)

All the works along one side of the polygon inclosing the site which is fortified.

2. (Phon.)

The middle of the upper part of the tongue, -- the part of the tongue which is more or less raised toward the palate in the pronunciation of certain sounds, as the vowel i in machine, e in bed, and consonant y in you. See Guide to Pronunciation, §10.

3.

The call boy whose turn it is to answer the call, which is often the word "front," used as an exclamation. [Hotel Cant]

 

© Webster 1913

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