front office
Americannoun
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the executive or administrative office of a company, organization, etc.
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The policy-making or executive individuals in an organization, as in I'll have to check with the front office before I can give you a discount. This term was originally underworld slang for police headquarters or the main detective bureau. It soon was extended to other administrative offices and their personnel. [c. 1900]
Other Word Forms
- front-office adjective
Etymology
Origin of front office
An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900
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.
Will the Angels owner and front office ever wake up?
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2026
Congrats to new Lakers owner Mark Walter and staff for having the courage initiating replacement of the dysfunctional front office with the hiring of Lon Rosen as president of business operations.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026
When Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired away from the Green Bay Packers front office to become the Miami Dolphins general manager last month, he didn’t hide from the enormous problem he had to confront.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026
It's been as clinical in the Patriots front office as it has on the field, and it has New England one game away from a record seventh Super Bowl title.
From BBC • Feb. 4, 2026
Residents may bathe in the bathroom, kitchen, private office or front office, as they choose.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
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.