Meaning & use
front room
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Meanings
nouncountableBritish
The main sitting room at the front of a house, often kept neat for guests.
Grammar: Count noun: in the front room.
Patterns
- in the front room
- the front room of the house
Guests were shown into the front room.
Grandma kept the best furniture in the front room.
The children watched television in the front room.
nouncountable
Any room facing the street side of a building.
Grammar: A plain description of position, not of use.
Patterns
- the front room of the building
The shop's front room faces the main road.
The office is in the front room on the second floor.
Word forms
| plural | front rooms |
|---|
Common combinations
- sit in the front room
- We sat in the front room all evening.
- front room window
- A lamp glowed in the front room window.
- tidy the front room
- She tidied the front room before visitors came.
- best front room
- The best front room was rarely used.
- front room fireplace
- The front room fireplace was lit for Christmas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- living room
- Living room is the common modern term for the main family room, not tied to the front of the house.
- parlor
- Parlor is older and suggests a formal room for visitors.
- lounge
- Lounge is British and a relaxed word for a sitting room.
- sitting room
- Sitting room is slightly formal or old-fashioned and often British.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: front room or living room?
front room vs living room
A living room is defined by use, while a front room is defined by position, though people often mean the same space.
Practice
In many older British homes, visitors were welcomed in the ____, which was kept tidy for guests.
Choose one answer.
The front room was the neat room used for guests. A garage, attic, or cellar would not normally host visitors.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “front room”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.