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
Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
From its opening moments, the game’s world is vibrant, with tufts of grass flowing in the foreground while fires rage far into the distance.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2025
Ingelsby preserves the thrills of a relentless investigation while foregrounding his ensemble’s relatable — often painfully so — experiences with guilt and forgiveness.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for foreground
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Noun
Plant color in the foreground to draw viewers’ eyes to that part of the landscape.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
From its opening moments, the game’s world is vibrant, with tufts of grass flowing in the foreground while fires rage far into the distance.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Rossellini’s film is part of a distinctive canon of modernist melodramas that self-consciously acknowledge the tension of those oppositions and foreground their symbolic disruption of realistic conventions.
—Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2025
Ingelsby preserves the thrills of a relentless investigation while foregrounding his ensemble’s relatable — often painfully so — experiences with guilt and forgiveness.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
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