# front off

CEFR C1 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/front-off
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to act tough or pretend to be more confident than you really are to impress or scare someone.

For teachers: to adopt a confrontational or boastful posture, often as a defensive mechanism or to project a false sense of status; frequently used in urban or hip-hop contexts.

## Examples

- He is just fronting off to look cool for his friends.
- Don't front off with me because I know you don't actually have the money.
- The young man began fronting off when the rival group entered the club, though his posturing was clearly a mask for his anxiety.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He fronted off his wealth." but "He was fronting off about his wealth." — the verb is usually intransitive or used with 'about' or 'with'; you don't 'front off' an object like a possession.

## Usage notes

- highly informal and often used in the context of social status or street culture.
- Teaching tip: this is a variation of the simpler phrasal verb 'front'; the addition of 'off' adds a sense of directed energy or a specific instance of the behavior.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.