noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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CMU ARPABET:W AO1 T ER0 F R AH2 N T
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The land alongside a body of water.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: front, place, location
2
noun
Meaning 2
The land alongside a body of water.
The dockland district of a town.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: front, place, location
3
noun
Meaning 3
the area of a city (such as a harbor or dockyard) alongside a body of water
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: city district
Narrower terms: seafront, dockyard
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *wed- Proto-Indo-European *-r̥ Proto-Indo-European *wódr̥ Proto-Germanic *watōr Proto-West Germanic *watar Old English wæter Middle English water English water English front English waterfront From water + front.
Across languages
Translations
22 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Bulgarian:
брегова линия
(bregova linija)
— land alongside a body of water
Chinese Mandarin:
沿岸
(yán'àn)
— land alongside a body of water
Finnish:
vesiraja
— land alongside a body of water
Finnish:
ranta
— land alongside a body of water
Georgian:
პორტი
(ṗorṭi)
— land alongside a body of water
Hungarian:
vízpart
— land alongside a body of water
Italian:
fronte mare
— land alongside a body of water
Polish:
wybrzeże
— land alongside a body of water
Portuguese:
beira-mar
— land alongside a body of water
Portuguese:
beira-rio
— land alongside a body of water
Spanish:
línea de costa
— land alongside a body of water
Spanish:
costanera
— land alongside a body of water
Spanish:
malecón
— land alongside a body of water
Spanish:
rambla
— land alongside a body of water
Spanish:
ribera
— land alongside a body of water
Spanish:
litoral
— land alongside a body of water
Bulgarian:
пристанищен район
(pristaništen rajon)
— dockland district of a town
Chinese Mandarin:
船塢區 /船坞区
— dockland district of a town
Finnish:
ranta
— dockland district of a town
German:
Hafenviertel
— dockland district of a town
Polish:
nabrzeże
— dockland district of a town
Portuguese:
região portuária
— dockland district of a town