foreground

American  

[fawr-graund] / ˈfɔrˌgraʊnd /

noun

• foregrounds
  plural

1. the ground or parts situated, or represented as situated, in the front; the portion of a scene or picture nearest to the viewer (opposed to background).

2. a prominent or important position; forefront.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put in the foreground.

   The fact that the central character is Italian is not foregrounded.

foreground British  

/ ˈfɔːˌɡraʊnd /

noun

1. the part of a scene situated towards the front or nearest to the viewer

2. the area of space in a perspective picture, depicted as nearest the viewer

3. a conspicuous or active position

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verb

1. (tr) to emphasize (an issue, idea, or word)

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• foregrounds
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of foreground

First recorded in 1685–95; fore- + ground ¹

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Explanation

When you're watching a movie, you can describe what's happening up close to the camera as being in the foreground. The foreground is the opposite of the background, which is the part of a photograph, painting, or scene that's farthest away from you. Some photographers tend to focus sharply on the foreground while letting the rest of the picture go blurry. The noun foreground was first used specifically for talking about painting, and it came from fore, "before" or "in front," and ground, or "foundation."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

foreground foregrounds

Taken at 8:30 a.m. local Mars time, the scene reveals striking blue tones across the foreground while morning sunlight illuminates rugged cliffs known as yardangs along the horizon.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026

It’s part of a broader change in Nolan’s telling: His Odysseus has far fewer sexual entanglements than Homer’s, keeping his devotion to Penelope more firmly in the foreground.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

The pianos are always muted, the drums all sound like they're being played next door, and the orchestra is buried deep in the mix to foreground Abrams' voice.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

As children, cattle and lambs happily commune with bears, lions and wolves in the foreground, the background depicts William Penn making a treaty with Tamanend, chief of the Lenape Nation, and founding Pennsylvania.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026

There’s a girl in his foreground, but it’s not me.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

Brown’s dreamlike visions of the climate and uniquely structured scenes—often with barely there foregrounds that emphasize the abstracted weather surrounding them—owe much to his mentor Ray Yoshida, as well as to Joseph Yoakum.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

Whether the seeking a mysterious territory of Dryland in "Waterworld" or fleeing from all northern latitudes in "The Day After Tomorrow," pop culture foregrounds the notion that one can somehow "run away" from climate change.

From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2024

At the same time, many new diagnostic methods and early-intervention therapies have been developed in recent years, which foregrounds the need to identify more risk factors for the disease.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2023

It’s unfortunate that the actual march itself, dramatized with a wobbly mix of new and archival footage, should feel so truncated in a movie that inevitably foregrounds the man over the movement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2023

The repeated “He,” has a sarcastic tone, and the hysteron proteron in the second sentence foregrounds this notion on which the argument turns: Is pride really a bad thing?

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

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Related Words

• forefront

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