15-letter words containing a, f, r, e
- forehand volley — a type of forehand shot played in tennis
- foreign affairs — politics: international relations
- forest of arden — a region of N Warwickshire, part of a former forest: scene of Shakespeare's As You Like It
- forget about it — don't mention it, you're welcome
- formal argument — (programming) (Or "parameter") A name in a function or subroutine definition that is replaced by, or bound to, the corresponding actual argument when the function or subroutine is called. In many languages formal arguments behave like local variables which get initialised on entry. See: argument.
- formal language — correct or polite words and phrases
- formation dance — any dance in which a number of couples form a certain arrangement, such as two facing lines or a circle, and perform a series of figures within or based on that arrangement
- formation rules — the set of rules that specify the syntax of a formal system; the algorithm that generates the well-formed formulae
- fort lauderdale — a city in SE Florida: seashore resort.
- forward echelon — (in a military operation) the troops and officers in a combat zone or in a position to engage the enemy.
- foster daughter — a girl raised like one's own daughter, though not such by birth or adoption.
- founding father — The founding father of an institution, organization, or idea is the person who sets it up or who first develops it.
- fovea centralis — a small pit or depression at the back of the retina forming the point of sharpest vision.
- fractional note — a banknote in a denomination smaller than the standard unit of currency
- fragmentariness — The quality of being fragmentary.
- fragrance strip — a folded, usually sealed strip on a page or card, impregnated with fragrance that is released when pulled or torn open: The magazine is full of fragrance strips in the advertisements.
- francis turbine — a water turbine designed to produce high flow from a low head of pressure: used esp in hydroelectric power generation
- franco-american — an American of French or French-Canadian descent.
- frankensteinian — a person who creates a monster or a destructive agency that cannot be controlled or that brings about the creator's ruin.
- franklin pierce — Franklin, 1804–69, 14th president of the U.S. 1853–57.
- franklin square — a town on W Long Island, in SE New York.
- franz ferdinand — Francis Ferdinand.
- franz joseph ii — 1906–1989, prince of Liechtenstein 1938–89.
- fraternal order — men's organization
- fraternal twins — one of a pair of twins, not necessarily resembling each other, or of the same sex, that develop from two separately fertilized ova.
- freak of nature — a person or animal that is born or grows with abnormal physical features.
- free atmosphere — the part of the atmosphere that lies above the frictional influence of the earth's surface.
- free soil party — a former U.S. political party (1848–56) that opposed the extension of slavery in the Territories not yet admitted to statehood.
- free throw lane — the rectangular area, 19 feet (5.7 meters) long and usually 12 or 16 feet (3.6 m or 4.8 meters) wide, extending from the end line behind each backboard to the foul line and along the sides of which players line up during a foul shot.
- free-tailed bat — any of various small, swift, insect-eating bats of the family Molossidae, common in warm climates, having thick, leathery ears and a tail that projects well beyond the tail membrane.
- free-trade zone — foreign-trade zone. free port (def 1). Abbreviation: FTZ.
- freestone state — Connecticut (used as a nickname).
- freeze-fracture — to prepare (material) for the electron microscope by freeze fracturing.
- freight charges — the price charged for conveying goods by freight
- french canadian — a descendant of the early French colonists of Canada.
- french guianese — an overseas department of France, on the NE coast of South America: formerly a French colony. 35,135 sq. mi. (91,000 sq. km). Capital: Cayenne.
- french marigold — a composite plant, Tagetes patula, of Mexico, having yellow flowers with red markings.
- french tamarisk — a shrub or small tree, Tamarix gallica, of the Mediterranean region, having bluish foliage and white or pinkish flowers.
- french togoland — a former United Nations Trust Territory in W Africa, administered by France (1946–60), now the independent republic of Togo
- french-speaking — able to speak French
- fresh-air fiend — a person who enjoys being outdoors or having good ventilation when indoors
- freshwater drum — an edible drum, Aplodinotus grunniens, of the fresh waters of North and Central America, sometimes reaching a weight of 60 pounds (27 kg).
- friar's lantern — ignis fatuus (def 1).
- friedmann model — any model of the universe deduced from a homogeneous, isotropic solution of Einstein's field equations without a cosmological constant. Such models form the mathematical basis for many modern cosmologies and provide for expansion or contraction of the universe.
- friedrichshafen — a city in Baden-Württemberg, S Germany, on Lake Constance.
- friend at court — a friend in a position of influence or power who may advance one's interests, especially a helpful person who is close to someone in authority.
- fringe festival — an unofficial, often unconventional, arts festival that is associated with another, larger festival
- fringed gentian — a plant of the genus Gentianopsis (or Gentiana), especially G. crinita, having a tubular blue corolla with four fringed petals.
- front-page news — a story printed on the first page of a newspaper
- frontal cyclone — any extratropical cyclone associated with a front: the most common cyclonic storm.