fore·ground
ˈfȯr-ˌgrau̇nd 
1
: the part of a scene or representation that is nearest to and in front of the spectator
Objects in the foreground seem larger than those in the background.
2
: a position of prominence : forefront
We want this issue to be in the foreground.
3
: a level of computer processing at which the processor responds immediately to input to a designated high-priority task compare background
foregrounded; foregrounding; foregrounds
: to bring to the foreground
especially
: to give prominence or emphasis to
Examples of foreground in a Sentence
Noun
We want the issue to be in the foreground.
Verb
Public discussion has foregrounded the issue of health care.
repeatedly foregrounded his experience in international affairs in the course of his campaign for the presidency
Recent Examples on the Web
Alexandra Cheney, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2025
Zoom out and these pointillist patterns are colorful doubles of the black-and-white photographs of baobab trees mounted in the foreground.
—Meka Boyle, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
In his new biography of Barnes, Blake Gopnik foregrounds this democratic ethos, focusing specifically on the philanthropist’s contributions to building racial equality—despite Barnes’s notoriously cantankerous personality and his tendency toward invective and slur.
—Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreground
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Noun
In the foreground, a sprinkling of Swiss chalet-style homes, with their widely projecting roofs and wooden balconies, were covered in a fresh dusting of snow.
—Alexandra Cheney, Travel + Leisure, 9 Mar. 2025
Zoom out and these pointillist patterns are colorful doubles of the black-and-white photographs of baobab trees mounted in the foreground.
—Meka Boyle, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2025
Verb
Two excellent new books focus on abolition’s complicated aftermath, foregrounding the experiences of the formerly enslaved.
—Barbara Spindel, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Mar. 2025
In his new biography of Barnes, Blake Gopnik foregrounds this democratic ethos, focusing specifically on the philanthropist’s contributions to building racial equality—despite Barnes’s notoriously cantankerous personality and his tendency toward invective and slur.
—Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 12 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreground
Cite this Entry
“Foreground.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreground. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.
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