Front vs. Rear: Know the Difference
By Shumaila Saeed || Updated on December 25, 2023
Front refers to the foremost part or surface of something, while rear denotes the back part or end of something.
Key Differences
Front is the part of something that faces forward or is used as the primary facing side, often associated with direction or position. The rear, conversely, refers to the backside or end of an object, typically opposite to the front.
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Dec 06, 2023
In terms of location, the front is the area that first encounters an observer or direction of movement, like the front of a building. The rear is the area farthest from the observer or the last part encountered, like the back of a building.
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Dec 06, 2023
Front can also indicate a position of leadership or prominence, as in being at the front of a movement. On the other hand, rear can imply support or less visibility, as in playing a role from the rear.
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Dec 06, 2023
In a vehicle, the front refers to the area near the driver and the forward direction of travel. In contrast, the rear of a vehicle is towards the back, often associated with storage or less active roles.
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Dec 06, 2023
In military terms, the front refers to the area where combat or main operations occur. The rear, in this context, denotes the area where support and logistics are situated, away from direct combat.
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Dec 06, 2023
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Comparison Chart
Direction
Facing forward or primary facing side
Opposite to the front, facing backward
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Dec 06, 2023
Vehicle Reference
Area near the driver, forward travel
Back of the vehicle, often for storage
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Dec 06, 2023
Military Context
Area of combat or main operations
Area for support and logistics
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Dec 06, 2023
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Front and Rear Definitions
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Rear
The part of a military deployment usually farthest from the fighting front.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
To care for (children or a child) during the early stages of life; bring up. See Usage Note at raise.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
Demeanor or bearing, especially in the presence of danger or difficulty.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
An outward, often feigned, appearance or manner
They put up a good front.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
(transitive) To bring up to maturity, as offspring; to educate; to instruct; to foster.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(Meteorology) The interface between air masses of different temperatures or densities.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
(intransitive) To rise up on the hind legs
The horse was shocked, and thus reared.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
A group or movement uniting various individuals or organizations for the achievement of a common purpose; a coalition.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
To raise physically or metaphorically; to lift up; to cause to rise, to elevate.
The monster slowly reared its head.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
An apparently respectable person, group, or business used as a cover for secret or illegal activities.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
To construct by building; to set up
To rear defenses or houses
To rear one government on the ruins of another.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
Of, relating to, aimed at, or located in the front
The front lines.
The front row.
Front property on Lake Tahoe.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(Linguistics) Designating vowels produced at or toward the front of the oral cavity, such as the vowels of green and get.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
(regional, obsolete) To revive, bring to life, quicken. (only in the phrase, to rear to life)
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(Music) To lead (a group of musicians)
"Goodman ... became the first major white bandleader to front an integrated group" (Bill Barol).
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost
The rear rank of a company
Sit in the rear seats of a car
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(Informal) To provide before payment
"In ... personal liability suits, a lawyer is fronting both time and money" (Richard Faille).
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(Linguistics) To move (a word or phrase) to the beginning of a clause or sentence, typically for emphasis or contrast.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(Linguistics) To cause (a vowel) to be pronounced farther toward the front of the oral cavity.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To have a front; face onto something else
Her property fronts on the highway.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To provide an apparently respectable cover for secret or illegal activities
Fronting for organized crime.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
(military) Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
The foremost side of something or the end that faces the direction it normally moves.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
The back or hindmost part; that which is behind, or last in order; - opposed to front.
Nipped with the lagging rear of winter's frost.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
Specifically, the part of an army or fleet which comes last, or is stationed behind the rest.
When the fierce foe hung on our broken rear.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
A person or institution acting as the public face of some other, covert group.
Officially it's a dry-cleaning shop, but everyone knows it's a front for the mafia.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
Being behind, or in the hindmost part; hindmost; as, the rear rank of a company.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(meteorology) The interface or transition zone between two airmasses of different density, often resulting in precipitation. Since the temperature distribution is the most important regulator of atmospheric density, a front almost invariably separates airmasses of different temperature.
We need to take the clothes off the line. The news reported a front is coming in from the east, and we can expect heavy rain and maybe hail.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(military) An area where armies are engaged in conflict, especially the line of contact.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
To raise; to lift up; to cause to rise, become erect, etc.; to elevate; as, to rear a monolith.
In adoration at his feet I fellSubmiss; he reared me.
It reareth our hearts from vain thoughts.
Mine [shall be] the first hand to rear her banner.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(military) The lateral space occupied by an element measured from the extremity of one flank to the extremity of the other flank.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
To erect by building; to set up; to construct; as, to rear defenses or houses; to rear one government on the ruins of another.
One reared a font of stone.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
To lift and take up.
And having her from Trompart lightly reared,Upon his courser set the lovely load.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(military) When a combat situation does not exist or is not assumed, the direction toward which the command is faced.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
To bring up to maturity, as young; to educate; to instruct; to foster; as, to rear offspring.
He wants a father to protect his youth,And rear him up to virtue.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(informal) An act, show, façade, persona: an intentional and false impression of oneself.
He says he likes hip-hop, but I think it's just a front.
You don't need to put on a front. Just be yourself.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(historical) That which covers the foremost part of the head: a front piece of false hair worn by women.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
The back of a military formation or procession;
Infantrymen were in the rear
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
The side of an object that is opposite its front;
His room was toward the rear of the hotel
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
The part of something that is furthest from the normal viewer;
He stood at the back of the stage
It was hidden in the rear of the store
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
The fleshy part of the human body that you sit on;
He deserves a good kick in the butt
Are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(obsolete) The forehead or brow, the part of the face above the eyes; sometimes, also, the whole face.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
The side that goes last or is not normally seen;
He wrote the date on the back of the photograph
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
The bellhop whose turn it is to answer a client's call, which is often the word "front" used as an exclamation.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
Located at or near the front.
The front runner was thirty meters ahead of her nearest competitor.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
Pronounced with the highest part of the body of the tongue toward the front of the mouth, near the hard palate (most often describing a vowel).
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
Closest or nearest, of a set of futures contracts which expire at particular times, or of the times they expire; typically, the front month or front year is the next calender month or year after the current one.
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Oct 19, 2023
Rear
Located in or toward the back or rear;
The chair's rear legs
The rear door of the plane
On the rearward side
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To move (a word or clause) to the start of a sentence (or series of adjectives, etc).
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(transitive) To lead or be the spokesperson of (a campaign, organisation etc.).
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(ambitransitive) Of an alter in dissociative identity disorder: to be the currently actively presenting member of (a system), in control of the patient's body.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To deceive or attempt to deceive someone with false or disingenuous appearances (on).
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
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.
Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front.
His front yet threatens, and his frowns command.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
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.
The inhabitants showed a bold front.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
All the works along one side of the polygon inclosing the site which is fortified.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
The call boy whose turn it is to answer the call, which is often the word "front," used as an exclamation.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
Of or relating to the front or forward part; having a position in front; foremost; as, a front view.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To oppose face to face; to oppose directly; to meet in a hostile manner.
You four shall front them in the narrow lane.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To appear before; to meet.
[Enid] daily fronted himIn some fresh splendor.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To face toward; to have the front toward; to confront; as, the house fronts the street.
And then suddenly front the changed reality.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To stand opposed or opposite to, or over against as, his house fronts the church.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
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.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
To have or turn the face or front in any direction; as, the house fronts toward the east.
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
The immediate proximity of someone or something;
She blushed in his presence
He sensed the presence of danger
He was well behaved in front of company
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
A sphere of activity involving effort;
The Japanese were active last week on the diplomatic front
They advertise on many different fronts
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
A group of people with a common ideology who try together to achieve certain general goals;
He was a charter member of the movement
Politicians have to respect a mass movement
He led the national liberation front
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
(meteorology) the atmospheric phenomenon created at the boundary between two different air masses
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
The part of something that is nearest to the normal viewer;
He walked to the front of the stage
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Oct 19, 2023
Front
Be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point; be opposite to;
The house looks north
My backyard look onto the pond
The building faces the park
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Oct 19, 2023
Repeatedly Asked Queries
Can "rear" refer to the end of a group?
Yes, it can mean the last part of a group or line.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
Can "front" refer to an attitude or appearance?
Yes, like putting on a brave front.
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Dec 06, 2023
Is the "front" always the most important part?
Not necessarily, though it's often the most visible or prominent.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
Do all vehicles have a distinct rear?
Yes, the rear is the back part opposite the direction of travel.
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Dec 06, 2023
Does "front" have a military connotation?
Yes, referring to the combat zone or area of conflict.
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Dec 06, 2023
Can the rear of a property have a garden?
Yes, gardens are often located at the rear.
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Dec 06, 2023
What does "front" mean in a building?
It's the forward-facing part or facade of the building.
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Dec 06, 2023
Is the front of a store typically where the entrance is?
Yes, the entrance is usually at the front.
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Dec 06, 2023
Can "front" mean a deceptive appearance?
Yes, as in putting up a false front.
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Dec 06, 2023
Can "rear" mean to raise or nurture?
Yes, especially in the context of upbringing.
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Dec 06, 2023
Do some buildings have a decorative rear?
Yes, the rear can also be aesthetically designed.
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Dec 06, 2023
Is the front yard typically more visible than the rear yard?
Generally, yes, the front yard is more visible to the public.
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Dec 06, 2023
Is the rear of a boat called the stern?
Yes, the stern is the rear end of a boat.
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Dec 06, 2023
Is the rear of a theater where the exits are located?
Typically, yes, exits are often at the rear.
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Dec 06, 2023
Is the rear seat in a car less prestigious?
It can be seen as less active or controlling than the front seat.
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Dec 06, 2023
Are front-line employees directly interacting with customers?
Yes, they typically engage directly with customers.
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Dec 06, 2023
Does the rear of a car often hold the trunk?
Yes, the trunk is usually at the rear.
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Dec 06, 2023
Can "front" indicate a façade or false show?
Yes, it can refer to a deceptive outward appearance.
Shumaila Saeed
Dec 06, 2023
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About Author
Written by
Shumaila SaeedShumaila Saeed, an expert content creator with 6 years of experience, specializes in distilling complex topics into easily digestible comparisons, shining a light on the nuances that both inform and educate readers with clarity and accuracy.
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