foreground

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foreground

/ˈfɔː(ɹ)ˌɡɹaʊnd/ UK

Where it comes from

From fore- + ground. Compare Dutch voorgrond (“foreground”), German Vordergrund (“foreground”), Danish forgrund (“foreground”), Swedish förgrund (“foreground”), Norwegian forgrunn (“foreground”), Icelandic forgrunni (“foreground”).

noun foregrounds

The elements of an image which lie closest to the picture plane. Note the presence in the foreground of the fronds of ailanthus, often called “ghetto palm,” now ubiquitous in Baltimore but apparently already common in the 1930s.
The subject of an image, often depicted at the bottom in a two-dimensional work.
attributive, often The application the user is currently interacting with; the application window that appears in front of all others.

verb foregrounds · foregrounding · foregrounded

To place in the foreground (physically or metaphorically). Right from the start, The Irishman foregrounds the looming inevitability of death.
Similar: highlight

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: spotlight, highlight, play up, limelight, plan, focus, plane, level, flat, top, front, key, forefront, developments, knowledge, original

Translations

Every language

noun the elements of an image which lie closest to the picture plane

Español	primer plano
한국어	전경 jeon'gyeong
日本語	前景 zenkei
中文	前景 qiánjǐng
Português	primeiro plano
Français	premier plan, avant-plan
Deutsch	Vordergrund
Italiano	primo piano
Ελληνικά	προσκήνιο proskínio
Română	prim plan
Русский	пере́дний пла́н perédnij plán

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MLA

"foreground." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/foreground. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

foreground. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/foreground

Chicago

"foreground." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/foreground.

BibTeX

@misc{foreground_2026,
  title = {foreground},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/foreground},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}