up-front

1 of 2

adjective

ˌəp-ˈfrənt 

ˈəp-ˌfrənt

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

a(1)

: frank, forthright

(2)

: being in a conspicuous or leading position

b

: paid or payable in advance

c

: playing in a front line (as in football)

up front

2 of 2

adverb

1

: in or at the front

2

: in advance

3

: in an up-front manner : frankly, forthrightly

Synonyms

Adjective

• candid
• direct
• forthcoming
• forthright
• foursquare
• frank
• free-spoken
• freehearted
• honest
• open
• openhearted
• out-front
• outspoken
• plain
• plainspoken
• straight
• straightforward
• unguarded
• unreserved

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

While the barrels have a higher up-front cost, Modern Cooperage sets the lifetime of a single cask at 30-50 years. —Andy Vasoyan, Forbes.com, 1 Apr. 2025

Lenders offer an up-front payment in exchange for a percentage of the growth in the value of the home at a future date. —Jake Pearson, ProPublica, 26 Mar. 2025

Adverb

Specifying a plan up front and sticking to it—a method routinely used in the conduct of clinical trials—helps ensure analyses aren’t changed and results aren’t interpreted in a biased manner if one side isn’t happy with the study’s findings. —Christopher M. Worsham, Time, 27 Mar. 2025

The Magpies hierarchy wants to strengthen its options up front in order to support Alexander Isak next season. —Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

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