front-end

1 of 2

adjective

ˈfrənt-ˌend 

1

: relating to, occurring in, or required at the beginning of an undertaking or business transaction

no front-end charge at the time of investment

He pays close attention to financial matters and can speak the language of "front-end money," "back-end money" and the rest of it.

—Erik Hedegaard

compare back-end sense 1

2

computing : visible to the user of a device or service

a front-end application/interface

compare back-end sense 2

front end

2 of 2

noun

plural front ends

1

: the front part or section of something

Soon the front end of the ship began to go down and down, faster and faster—till the boat looked almost as though it were standing on its head.

—Hugh Lofting

2

computing

a

: a unit in a computer system devoted to controlling the data communications link between terminals and the main computer and often to the preliminary processing of data

b

: a software interface (such as a graphical user interface) designed to enable user-friendly interaction with a computer

… you'll want to use this well-designed, easy-to-use front end for Windows' obscure command-line tools.

—Edward Mendelson

compare back end sense 3

3

: the initial part or period of a business arrangement or financial undertaking

Once a record company has sunk a lot of money on the front end of a project, with big-name producers and an expensive video, she says, "They're afraid of spending money on anything else."

—Mimi Valdés

In sum, the initiative aims to force … residents to pay more of their own fire protection expenses, and to pay those expenses on the front end.

—David Sirota

compare back end sense 2

Examples of front-end in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Ben Crowther, policy director for the national nonprofit advocacy group America Walks, described the proposal as rather limited in scope, given its focus on the hoods of vehicles and not the front-end design or height. —Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free Press, 21 Nov. 2024

These chips enable the front-end and back-end connections required to deliver the data for AI processing and the output from the datacenter to the wider world. —Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024

Noun

Rolling out an online program costs millions on the front end, says Brent Winkelman, chief of staff for University of Texas computer science: course development, professor and TA payments, and production costs, which can run $75k for one course. —Mark Dent, thehustle.co, 8 Nov. 2024

The front end has a sleeker hood and low-profile headlights for better aerodynamics. —Brooke Crothers, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1955, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1