foreground
ˈfɔːrˌɡraʊnd
Definition Synonyms Conjugation

Definition of foreground - Reverso English Dictionary

Noun

1.
focusmain focus or subject of attention
  • The issue of climate change is in the foreground.
centerpiece spotlight
2.
artpart of an image closest to the viewer
  • The tree is in the foreground of the painting.
foregrounding forepart front
3.
technologyTECH.active application window on a computerTECH.
  • The browser is running in the foreground.

Verb

tr.
highlightmake something stand out by highlighting importance or visibility
  • The teacher foregrounded the main idea in her lesson.
accentuate highlight spotlight
Add a suggestion |

Expressions with foreground

💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
at the front or closest to the viewer
The tree stands in the foreground of the painting.
become more important or noticeable in a situation
Her talent came to the foreground during the competition.
make something more noticeable or important
The artist brings the character to the foreground.
make something more important or noticeable than others
The teacher put in the foreground the importance of honesty.
color used for main elements that appear in front of the background
Change the foreground color to white for better contrast on the dark background.
processing tasks while user interacts with the system
Foreground processing allows you to type while the computer works.

Origin of foreground

Old English, fore (before) + ground (ground)

Terms with foreground included in their meaning

💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
art
area between the foreground and background in a scene
art
area between foreground and background in art
photography
foreground of a photographic image

Examples of foreground in a sentence

  • The economy was in the foreground of the debate.
  • The artist painted flowers in the foreground of the scene.
  • In the photograph, the mountains are in the foreground.
  • The document editor is now in the foreground.
  • Keep the chat window in the foreground for notifications.
  • The report foregrounds economic risks in the analysis.

View all translations of foreground

Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
  1. French:premier plan, souligner, ...
  2. German:Vordergrund, hervorheben, ...
  3. Italian:primo piano, sottolineare, ...
  4. Spanish:primer plano, resaltar, ...
  5. Portuguese:primeiro plano, destacar, ...
  6. Chinese:焦点, 突出, ...
  7. Japanese:最前面, 強調する, ...
  8. Arabic:الصَّدَارَة, أَبْرَزَ, ...
  9. Hebrew:קִדְמַת הַבָּמָה, לְהַבְלִיט, ...
  10. Russian:передний план, выдвигать на первый план, ...
  11. Ukrainian:передній план, підкреслити, ...
  12. Hindi:केंद्रबिंदु, प्रमुखता देना, ...
Browse the dictionary entries starting with “f”:

Discover how Reverso redefines the dictionary

Go beyond “simple words”

Get more than a simple definition

Go from understanding to mastery