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noun Common

font

font
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Font (noun) means a set of letters and characters sharing one consistent design, style, and weight, used in printing or on a screen. Example: “The report looked more professional after switching to a cleaner font.”

noun
1
A set of letters and characters sharing one consistent design, style, and weight, used in printing or on a screen.
"The report looked more professional after switching to a cleaner font."
"She chose a bold, playful font for the poster title."
"Choose a larger font so older readers can see the text."
2
A basin in a church that holds water used for baptism.
"The baby was carried to the font for the christening."
"Water was poured gently into the stone font."
"An old carved font stands near the church door."
3
A source or origin of something, especially knowledge (literary).
"The old professor was a font of obscure historical facts."
"Her grandmother was a font of wisdom and kindly advice."
"The library is a font of knowledge for the whole town."

How to use font

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost commonly, the style of lettering used in text on a page or screen; also a church basin, or figuratively a "source" of something.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "fount," an older British spelling still used for the "source" sense, e.g. "a fount of wisdom."

Easily confused with
fount →
Common pairings
change the font font size a font of knowledge
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Word forms

Plural
fonts
Third person singular
fonts
Past tense
fonted
Test yourself on “font” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The report looked more professional after switching to a cleaner _____.

Etymology

The typography sense traces to the same Latin root, fons ("fountain, source"), as the church-basin sense — both describe something a stream flows or is "cast" from.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

View more →
typeface typestyle basin face case baptistry baptistery fount

Related words

look case side face cause example type front

Rhymes for font

wont pont mont front
See all rhymes for font →

Frequently asked questions

What does “font” mean?
The word “font” means a set of letters and characters sharing one consistent design, style, and weight, used in printing or on a screen. In plain terms, most commonly, the style of lettering used in text on a page or screen; also a church basin, or figuratively a "source" of something.
How do you pronounce “font”?
“Font” is pronounced font (/fɑnt/ in IPA).
How do you use “font” in a sentence?
Here is “font” used in a sentence: “The report looked more professional after switching to a cleaner font.”
What part of speech is “font”?
“Font” is a noun.
Where does the word “font” come from?
The word “font” comes from Latin. The typography sense traces to the same Latin root, fons ("fountain, source"), as the church-basin sense — both describe something a stream flows or is "cast" from.
Is “font” a common word?
“Font” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “font” have?
“Font” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a set of letters and characters sharing one consistent design, style, and weight, used in printing or on a screen.
What is the difference between a font and a typeface?
A typeface refers to an overall design family, such as Helvetica or Times New Roman, while a font traditionally refers to a specific style and weight within that family, such as 12-point bold Helvetica. In everyday and digital usage, however, font is now commonly used to mean the same thing as typeface.
What is a baptismal font?
A baptismal font is a basin found in a church that holds water used for the ceremony of baptism. This is a distinct meaning from the typographic sense of font, related instead to religious practice.
What does font mean in a literary or figurative sense?</p>
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look case side face cause example type front