- 1[countable, usually singular] the part of a view, picture, etc. that is nearest to you when you look at it The figure in the foreground is the artist's mother. Wordfinderpaintingart, background, canvas, exhibition, foreground, frame, fresco, painting, portrait, watercolour Express YourselfDescribing a pictureIn some exams, you have to describe what you see in a picture or photograph. Here are some useful phrases: The picture shows a family gathered around a kitchen table. This is a picture/photo of a busy city street. In the foreground/background, we can see a group of protesters. In the bottom right-hand corner/top left-hand corner, there's a child sitting alone. On the left/On the right/In the middle, someone is standing with a bottle in his hand. In the cartoon, we can see two people looking at a newspaper headline. The cartoonist has drawn the man to represent a typical businessman. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verb + foregroundoccupy prepositionin the foreground See full entry See related entries: Describing art
- 2[singular] an important position that is noticed by people Inflation and interest rates will be very much in the foreground of their election campaign. This issue is very much in the foreground. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verb + foregroundoccupy prepositionin the foreground See full entry compare background Word Originlate 17th cent.: from fore- + ground (noun), on the pattern of Dutch voorgrond.Idioms
foreground
nounBrE BrE//ˈfɔːɡraʊnd//; NAmE NAmE//ˈfɔːrɡraʊnd//
the foreground Describing art(computing) (of a computer program) being used at the present time and appearing in front of any other programs on the screen compare in the background
Check pronunciation: foreground
