This is the 94th most frequent French word.
devant
"In front of."
Here, 'devant' is used as a preposition indicating position, showing that he is located in front of the house.
Il se tient devant la maison.
He is standing in front of the house.
Here, 'devant' is used figuratively to suggest an audience or presence, indicating the problem must be addressed in the presence of everyone.
Nous devons résoudre ce problème devant tout le monde.
We must solve this problem in front of everyone.
Here, 'devant' is part of an expression indicating motion relative to another object or person, in this case passing by.