forefront

from WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006)
forefront
    n 1: the part in the front or nearest the viewer; "he was in the
         forefront"; "he was at the head of the column" [syn:
         {forefront}, {head}]
    2: the position of greatest importance or advancement; the
       leading position in any movement or field; "the Cotswolds
       were once at the forefront of woollen manufacturing in
       England"; "the idea of motion was always to the forefront of
       his mind and central to his philosophy" [syn: {vanguard},
       {forefront}, {cutting edge}]
    
from The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Forefront \Fore"front`\, n.
   Foremost part or place.
   [1913 Webster]

         Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle.
                                                  --2 Sam. xi.
                                                  15.
   [1913 Webster]

         Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, standing in the forefront
         for all time, the masters of those who know. --J. C.
                                                  Shairp.
   [1913 Webster]
    
from Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
58 Moby Thesaurus words for "forefront":
      advance guard, airhead, anteriority, avant-garde, battle line,
      beachhead, bold front, brave face, brave front, bridgehead,
      display, facade, face, facet, facia, farthest outpost, first line,
      fore, foreground, forehand, foreland, forepart, forequarter,
      foreside, foreword, front, front elevation, front line, front man,
      front matter, front page, front rank, front view, front-runner,
      frontage, frontal, frontier, frontispiece, head, heading, lap,
      line, obverse, outguard, outpost, pioneer, point, precursor,
      preface, prefix, priority, proscenium, railhead, scout, spearhead,
      van, vanguard, window dressing

    

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