font

font — noun

1. a complete set of printed characters — letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbol

1.nounB1
Definition

a complete set of printed characters — letters, numbers, punctuation, and symbols — created in a single design, line thickness, and size, used in digital documents, books, and signs to display written text

Example

Felipe chose a clean sans-serif font for the company's annual report.

collocation: sans-serif font / serif font / bold font

Adina switched the recipe blog to a larger font so her grandmother could read it.

Common collocations
  • choose a font
  • change the font
  • download a font
  • install a font
  • font size
  • font style
  • font family
  • sans-serif font
  • serif font
  • bold font
  • italic font
  • decorative font
  • readable font
Synonyms
  • typeface

    refers to the design family (e.g. Times New Roman); a font is one size and weight within it

  • type

    older term; now mostly means the category (serif, sans-serif) rather than a specific set

  • lettering

    more general; refers to the visual style of letters, not a specific digital file or set

Grammar Patterns

adjective + font (serif, sans-serif, bold)

font + noun (size, style, family)

verb + font (choose, download, change, install)

Usage Note

In professional typography, a font is a specific weight and size within a typeface family (e.g. 'Arial Bold 12pt' is a font; 'Arial' is the typeface). In everyday use, however, 'font' is often used to refer to the typeface itself.

Common Mistakes

This font is called Helvetica Bold 14pt, and the typeface is the same thing.
Helvetica is the typeface, and Helvetica Bold 14pt is one font within that family.
a typeface is the design; a font is a specific size and weight of that design.

2. a carved basin made of stone or marble, usually placed near the entrance of a Ch

2.nounB1
Definition

a carved basin made of stone or marble, usually placed near the entrance of a Christian church, that contains holy water and is used during the baptism ceremony when a person joins the faith

Example

The priest poured water into the stone font before the baby's baptism.

collocation: stone font / marble font / baptismal font

Ada watched her younger cousin being held over the old marble font at the cathedral.

prepositional phrase: over the font / at the font

Common collocations
  • baptismal font
  • stone font
  • marble font
  • wooden font
  • font of holy water
  • carved font
  • stand beside the font
Synonyms
  • baptismal font

    more formal and explicit term for the same object

  • basin

    broader term; font specifies a religious baptismal basin

Grammar Patterns

font + verb (stands, holds)

adjective + font (stone, marble, baptismal)

Usage Note

In many churches the font is placed near the door to symbolise entry into the Christian community through baptism. This sense does not apply to containers for holy water used outside baptisms (such as stoups).

Common Mistakes

He drank from the font after the service.
He drank from the fountain after the service.
font and fountain have different meanings; font is a church basin, fountain is a water feature.
The bride left flowers on the font.
The bride left flowers on the altar.
fonts are for baptismal water, not general displays.

Word family

  • fount
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Font and typeface are often used interchangeably in everyday conversation, but professional typography distinguishes them: a typeface is the overall visual design of a set of characters (e.g. Times New Roman, Arial, Garamond), while a font is one specific size, weight, and style within that typeface family (e.g. Arial Bold 12pt). 'Type' is a broader, older term that can refer to the category of printed characters (serif type, bold type) or to individual metal pieces used in traditional printing. 'Lettering' is the most general term, describing any drawn or arranged letters — from calligraphy to graffiti — without implying a formal typeface family. In practice: 'Change the font to Garamond 11pt' is precise; 'I like this lettering on the coffee-shop sign' is appropriate for hand-drawn styles.

typefacefont ↗type ↗lettering

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • change the font
  • choose a font
  • download a font
  • font size
  • font style

Prepositions

  • at the font
  • beside the font
  • in a font

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

Font comes from the Latin word 'fons' (meaning 'spring' or 'fountain'), which passed into Old French as 'font' (a baptismal basin). The church sense was the original meaning in English — the water in the basin was seen as a spring of spiritual life. In the 1500s, the spelling variant 'fount' was adopted by printers to describe a complete set of metal type characters, imagined as a 'fountain' of letters ready to be used. Over time the spelling 'font' became standard for both the church basin and the typography sense.