in front of

in front of (someone or something)

1. Directly before a person, group, or thing. Please place the sign in front of the display, not behind it. Come pick me up in 10 minutes. I'll be standing in front of the bank.
2. In the presence of a person or group of people. The boss yelled at me in front of the entire office. It was mortifying. I love playing guitar, but I could never get up and perform in front of an audience.
See also: front, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

in front of

1. Facing someone or a group, as in He was shy about speaking in front of a large audience. [Early 1600s]
2. In someone's presence, as in Let's not fight in front of the children. [Mid-1800s]
See also: front, of
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • best of the bunch
  • display
  • display (something) to (someone)
  • display to
  • display of force
  • a bleeding heart
  • bleeding
  • bleeding heart
  • clod
  • bat an eye
References in periodicals archive
One of the demonstration organizers said that "the thugs" were present in large numbers in front of the mosque waiting for the worshipers.
Since February 21, tens of people are staging sit-ins in front of the Office Cherifien des Phosphates' building to demand jobs.
Display of a Ten Commandments monument in front of a government building in Elkhart, Ind., violates the separation of church and state, the U.S.
Jail officers had removed mattresses from a cell in which the detainee and others were housed after they had placed barriers in front of the ventilation system in an attempt to control the temperature in the cell.
Three-times former British champion Niall Mackenzie smashed the lap record as he powered his INS Ducati into the number one spot for the first time this year in front of title contender Chris Walker on a factory Suzuki.
The 31-year-old from Coatbridge has stepped up to the big bike class after winning back-to- back Supersport titles on the team's GSX-R600 and is looking forward to racing in front of his home crowd
The topics of the June 9 meeting will he "What the Judges Expect," "What Not to Do in Front of a Judge," "Procedural Particulars of Each Division" and "Things to Avoid."
I lest him, and by the time I found him, he was in the hushes with somebody, and I didn't see a graceful way to shove the book in front of him." 12 Marlene Deitrich
Last fall, when the Clinton Administration came close, a small group of about thirty of us gathered in front of the federal building to voice our opposition.
A women's group want to disrupt the ceremony in front of a TV audience of two billion in Bangalore next week.
NINA correspondent said that the demonstrations and sit-ins that are expected to be increased during the coming hours, are still in front of the IHEC office in Kirkuk in Atlas Street and in front of the counting center in the street of Baghdad Road and the celebration hall and in front of the stores of the ballot boxes in 1, March region and in the district of Daqouq, Dibis, Alton Cobri, Oroba, Mosala, Amal Shaabi (popular work) amidst cutting roads and continuous ramps./ End
NNA - UCC (Union Coordination Committee) sit-in started at the moment in front of Ogero, Bir Hasan, within the context of the ongoing sit ins since 19 February in objection to not referring the salary scale to the Parliament.
Protesters gathered in front of the Ministry of Interior and the Municipal Ministry in Beirut on Friday carrying banners calling for an end to the country's sectarian system.
If we get someone behind and in front of Carew we should cope.
As part of a citywide "Weapons of Mass Resistance" campaign, the young women set up a table in front of the local army recruiting office, calling on young people on the street to question why they have to kill women and children in Iraq in order to get an education.