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

A US military ship is seen in the foreground in the Arabian Sea in April.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Throughout a prolific career that spanned decades, Saar brought issues of race and racism to the foreground in ways that were immediate and visceral.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

The piece’s hero image is Waters, sitting on a couch with what appears to be a toddler while, blurred in the foreground, a pair of baby feet dangle into the frame.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

In the foreground, I can make out a teenage boy in a chocolate-brown coat sticking his tongue out at the soldier, in an unseen act of defiance.

From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse

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

Not entirely unlike his portrayal of young men in “Gomorrah,” Garrone foregrounds their brotherly bond as a driving force amid increasingly crushing obstacles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2024

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

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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