foreground

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

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈfɔː(ɹ)ˌɡɹaʊnd/

• Audio (US)

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foreground (plural foregrounds)

1. The elements of an image which lie closest to the picture plane.
2. The subject of an image, often depicted at the bottom in a two-dimensional work.
3. (computing, often attributive) The application the user is currently interacting with; the application window that appears in front of all others.

• background
• midground

foreground (third-person singular simple present foregrounds, present participle foregrounding, simple past and past participle foregrounded)

1. To place in the foreground (physically or metaphorically).

   Synonym: highlight

   • 2019 October 31, A. A. Dowd, “Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro reunite for one last gripping crime epic, The Irishman”, in AV Club‎:

     Right from the start, The Irishman foregrounds the looming inevitability of death.