front line
Americannoun
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Military. front.
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the place where in-person essential work is carried out, especially in jobs that may involve some risk, as in policing, healthcare, emergency services, public transit, grocery, warehouse, and delivery work.
Our bookstore extends a discount to all the teachers, aides, specialists, librarians, and therapists who are on the front line serving our children in schools every day.
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the visible forefront in any action, activity, or field.
TV reporters are constantly involved in the front line of events.
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Football. front four.
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Basketball. front court.
noun
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military the most advanced military units or elements in a battle
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the most advanced, exposed, or conspicuous element in any activity or situation
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frontline. (modifier)
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of, relating to, or suitable for the front line of a military formation
frontline troops
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of, relating to, or suitable for public service and business employees who are in direct contact with the public
frontline staff
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to the fore; advanced, conspicuous, etc
frontline news
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of or relating to a country bordering on or close to a hostile country or scene of armed conflict
leaders of the frontline states attended the summit
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Etymology
Origin of front line
First recorded in 1670–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Middle managers say they’re on the front lines of the war on fun.
“He’s doing a disservice to the people that are on the front line, that rely on him and his colleagues to give them the parameters of what they can and can’t do,” Doyle added.
From Los Angeles Times
Forty miles away, the U.A.E. stands on the front line of this conflict.
Moscow has used the Caspian to bring in large quantities of Iranian artillery shells and other ammunition to resupply troops on the front lines, the Journal has reported.
But even if the immediate standoff is resolved, the economic shock may linger — a reminder that in modern warfare, the battlefield doesn’t end at the front lines.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
