a property of perception in which there is a tendency to see parts of a visual field as solid, well-defined objects standing out against a less distinct background.
Main Entry: figure–ground Pronunciation: -'graund Function: adjective : relating to or being the relationships between the parts of a perceptual fieldwhich is perceived as divided into a part consisting of figures having form and standing out from the part comprising the background and being relatively formless figure–ground relationships are easily perceived as reversed>
[fig-yer-ground] 
yərˈgraʊnd