Frank

/fɹæŋk/ adj, name, noun, verb

adj, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article).
  • Grammar: frank is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: frankfurter, franking, hot dog, wiener.
  • Useful contrasts: cagey, cagier, cagy.
  • Usage evidence: Chiefly, I want you to be more frank.

How to use "frank"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "frank" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "frank" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "frank" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "frank" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "frank" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "frankfurter" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "frank", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article). uncountable

    "October 5, 1780, William Cowper, letter to Rev. William Unwin I have said so much, that, if I had not a frank, I must burn my letter and begin again."

  2. 2
    A hot dog or sausage.

    "Buy a package of franks for the barbecue."

  3. 3
    The grey heron. UK
  4. 4
    A pigsty.
  5. 5
    Obsolete form of franc, former French coins, moneys of account, and currency. alt-of, historical, obsolete

    "Frank, or Franc, an ancient coin, either of gold or ſilver, ſtruck and current in France. The value of the gold frank was ſomewhat more than that of the gold crown; the ſilver frank was a third of the gold one; this coin is long out of uſe, though the term is ſtill retained as the name of a money of account; in which ſenſe it is equivalent to the livre, or twenty ſols."

Show 6 more definitions
  1. 6
    One of the Franks, a Germanic federation that inhabited parts of what are now France, the Low Countries and Germany.
  2. 7
    device or marking such as postage stamp, printed or stamped impressions, codings, labels, manuscript writings, or any other authorized form of markings affixed or applied to mails to qualify them to be postally serviced. wordnet
  3. 8
    The notice on an envelope where a stamp would normally be found. countable

    "But, although her friends were kind, Lady Anne was not easy; neither daughter made her appearance, nor did she receive a letter to account for their silence. She remembered, indeed, that Charles Penrhyn could not get franks now, and her daughters knew she would not pay postage; and she had commanded Helen to work night and day, saying, "surely they can give her common materials.""

  4. 9
    Frenchman.
  5. 10
    a smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork usually smoked; often served on a bread roll wordnet
  6. 11
    a member of the ancient Germanic peoples who spread from the Rhine into the Roman Empire in the 4th century wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To place a frank on an envelope. transitive

    "It will be so ridiculous to see all his letters directed to him with an M.P.—But do you know, he says, he will never frank for me?"

  2. 2
    To shut up in a frank or sty; to pen up; hence, to cram; to fatten.

    "Marry, as for Clarence, he is well repaid; He is franked up to fatting for his pains"

  3. 3
    exempt by means of an official pass or letter, as from customs or other checks wordnet
  4. 4
    To exempt from charge for postage, as a letter, package, or packet, etc. transitive
  5. 5
    stamp with a postmark to indicate date and time of mailing wordnet
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    To send by public conveyance free of expense. transitive

    "1850-1859, Charles Dickens, Household Words This required extensive correspondence; so, in the next place, the privilege of franking letters in reference to the emigrants' registration office, was obtained—much to the indignation of red tapists."

Adjective
  1. 1
    Honest, especially in a manner that seems slightly blunt; candid; not reserved or disguised.

    "May I be frank with you?"

  2. 2
    Unmistakable, clinically obvious, self-evident.

    "The research probes whether treating pre-diabetes with metformin can prevent progression to frank diabetes."

  3. 3
    Unbounded by restrictions, limitations, etc.; free. obsolete

    "It is of frank gift."

  4. 4
    Liberal; generous; profuse. obsolete

    "Frank of Civilities that cost them nothing."

  5. 5
    Unrestrained; loose; licentious. derogatory, obsolete

    "Over the fields, in his franke lustinesse, And all the champain o're he soared light."

Adjective
  1. 1
    characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion wordnet
  2. 2
    clearly manifest; evident wordnet
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A male given name from the Germanic languages.

    "Mrs. Ford. How now, sweet Frank! why art thou melancholy?"

  2. 2
    A diminutive of the male given name Francis.

    "Your name is Francis, is it? Frank, sir. Your name is Francis. There was never a St. Frank. That's a name for gangsters and politicians."

  3. 3
    A surname transferred from the nickname.
  4. 4
    A place name:; A community in Crowsnest Pass municipality, south-west Alberta, Canada.
  5. 5
    A place name:; An unincorporated community in Avery County, North Carolina, United States.
Show 1 more definition
  1. 6
    A place name:; A census-designated place in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States.

Synonyms

All synonyms
frankfurterfrankinghot dogwienerabove-boardaboveboard

Example

"Chiefly, I want you to be more frank."

Common questions

What does "frank" mean?

Free postage, a right exercised by governments (usually with definite article).

What is a synonym for "frank"?

Common synonyms include: frankfurter, franking, hot dog, wiener, above-board, aboveboard.

How do you use "frank" in a sentence?

Chiefly, I want you to be more frank.

How do you pronounce "frank"?

Pronounced /fɹæŋk/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English frank, from Old French franc (“free”), in turn from the name of an early Germanic confederation, the Franks, from Proto-West Germanic *frankō (“javelin, spear”). Doublet of Frank, franc, and farang.

Etymology 2

Clipping of frankfurter.

Etymology 3

From Old French franc.

Etymology 4

From French franc.

Etymology 5

From Middle English Frank, partially from Old English Franca (“a Frank”); and partially from Old French Franc, and/or Latin Francus (“a Frank”), from Frankish *Franko (“a Frank”); both maybe from Proto-Germanic *frankô (“javelin”). Cognate with Old High German Franko (“a Frank”), Old English franca (“spear, javelin”). Compare Saxon, ultimately a derivative of Proto-Germanic *sahsą (“knife, dagger”). Doublet of franc, frank, and farang.

Etymology 6

The surname derives from the medieval tribal name. The given name is also a form of Francis, with formal given name status since the 19th century.

More for "frank"

Synonyms

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