devant
French, preposition/də.vɑ̃/
devant is spelled D-E-V-A-N-T (6 letters) and appears 309 times per million words in written French, the 264th most frequent French word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). Devant is a French preposition meaning “confronted with, faced with” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). It is also a present participle of devoir. The French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) defines it as “À l’opposé de, vis-à-vis de, en face de”.
What does devant mean in English?
preposition
- 1
confronted with, faced with
- 2
in front of, before
- 3
outside
adverb
- 1
in front, at the front
Il marchait devant.
noun
- 1
masculinefront
verb
- 1
present participle of devoir
Source: English Wiktionary, French section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How French dictionaries define it
preposition: 1. À l’opposé de, vis-à-vis de, en face de. 2. En avant de. 3. À l’avant, dans le rang dans l'ordre. 4. En présence de.
adverb: 1. En avant de. Dans la direction ou l’espace qui s’étend en face de quelqu’un, de quelque chose. 2. En avant de. 3. En présence de.
noun: 1. Côté qui est à l’avant ; partie antérieure. 2. Les premiers plans d’un tableau.
The definition in the French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), in French.
Source: French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire), dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of devant
- devants plural
Source: English Wiktionary and French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce devant?
- /də.vɑ̃/
- \də.vɑ̃\
Sources: English Wiktionary, French Wiktionary (Wiktionnaire) (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to devant
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is devant in French?
devant appears 309 times per million words in written French.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).