VocabauraVOCABAURA

frank

adjective · noun · verb

Simple meaning

Unmistakable, clinically obvious.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

frangk
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈfɹæŋk

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adjective

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

  2. medicine

    Unmistakable, clinically obvious, self-evident.

noun

  1. uncountable

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

  2. countable

    The notice on an envelope where a stamp would normally be found.

  3. A hot dog or sausage.

  4. One of the Franks, a Germanic federation that inhabited parts of what are now France, the Low Countries and Germany.

  5. A diminutive of the male given name Francis.

  6. A community in Crowsnest Pass municipality, south-west Alberta, Canada.

verb

  1. Exempt by means of an official pass or letter, as from customs or other checks

  2. transitive

    To exempt from charge for postage, as a letter, package, or packet, etc.

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

  4. transitive

    To send by public conveyance free of expense.

  5. transitive

    To place a frank on an envelope.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “frank”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

frank discussion

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • franklyadverbDerived adverb

    It is sincerely the case that.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • frank philip stellanounCompound term

    United States minimalist painter (born in 1936).

  • frank stellanounCompound term

    United States minimalist painter (born in 1936).

  • frank morrison spillanenounCompound term

    United States writer of popular detective novels (born in 1918).

  • franking machinenounCompound term

    A machine that automatically stamps letters or packages passing through it and computes the total charge.

  • frank breech deliverynounCompound term

    Position of a fetus in which the buttocks are present at the maternal pelvic outlet.

  • frank breechnounCompound term

    Position of a fetus in which the buttocks are present at the maternal pelvic outlet.

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Collections with this word

Themed sets you can browse for free.

Use it yourself

Knowing “frank” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.