background

[ bak-ground ]

/ ˈbækˌgraʊnd /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR background ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the ground or parts, as of a scene, situated in the rear (opposed to foreground).

Fine Arts.

the part of a painted or carved surface against which represented objects and forms are perceived or depicted: a portrait against a purple background.
the part of an image represented as being at maximum distance from the frontal plane.

one's origin, education, experience, etc., in relation to one's present character, status, etc.

the social, historical, and other antecedents or causes of an event or condition: the background of the war.

the complex of physical, cultural, and psychological factors that serves as the environment of an event or experience; the set of conditions against which an occurrence is perceived.

Physics. the totality of effects that tend to obscure a phenomenon under investigation and above which the phenomenon must be detected.

Telecommunications. (in an electronic device for transmitting or receiving signals) the sum of the effects, as noise or random signals, from which a phenomenon must differentiate itself in character or degree in order to be detected.

adjective

of, relating to, or serving as a background: background noise.

verb (used with object)

to supply a background to: The passenger's idle thoughts were backgrounded by the drone of the plane's engines.

to supply a background of information for: To background themselves, reporters dug through all available files on the case.

Idioms for background

in/into the background, unobtrusive; inconspicuous; out of sight or notice; in or into obscurity: He kept his dishonest dealings in the background.

Origin of background

First recorded in 1665–75; back¹ + ground¹

SYNONYMS FOR background

4 environment, circumstances, upbringing, milieu, element, sphere, medium.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR background ON THESAURUS.COM

Words nearby background

backflap hinge, backflash, backflip, backflow, backgammon, background, background extinction, background music, background processing, background projection, background radiation

Example sentences from the Web for background

“We saw his background and he was a Bronx guy and we started breaking the case,” Boyce says.

Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown |Michael Daly |January 7, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
The following page details a tribute gag the Simpsons team inserted into the background of a scene.

Here’s the Lost Judd Apatow ‘Simpsons’ Episode, Penned by Judd Apatow |Asawin Suebsaeng |January 6, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
But there's a ton of value for me in my background and my history, and losing it would be a shame.

My Week on Jewish Tinder |Emily Shire |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Desert Golfing is the gaming equivalent of putting TV on in the background.

Lost For Thousands of Strokes: 'Desert Golfing' Is 'Angry Birds' as Modern Art |Alec Kubas-Meyer |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST

While the desk sergeant ran a background check, he was roughed up by another officer in the lock-up.

What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face? |Goldie Taylor |December 30, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
In the background marched in ceaseless procession an irregular file of men.

McAllister and His Double |Arthur Train
Questions in frightened voices filled the air against this background of suppressed weeping.

Three More John Silence Stories |Algernon Blackwood
They really had come into his life, but never people; even his own family were nothing but a background for wrangles.

The Dark Tower |Phyllis Bottome
Rugged mountains form the background of the valley to the east, down from which comes murmuring the fleet but shallow Teivi.

The Welsh and Their Literature |George Borrow
And the question as to whether a certain town or district is to be Serbian or Bulgarian sinks into the background.

The Birth of Yugoslavia, Volume 1 |Henry Baerlein

British Dictionary definitions for background

background

/ (ˈbækˌɡraʊnd) /

noun

the part of a scene or view furthest from the viewer

an inconspicuous or unobtrusive position (esp in the phrase in the background)
(as modifier)a background influence

art

the plane or ground in a picture upon which all other planes or forms appear superimposed
the parts of a picture that appear most distantCompare foreground (def. 2), middle-distance (def. 2)

a person's social class, education, training, or experience

the social, historical, or technical circumstances that lead up to or help to explain somethingthe background to the French Revolution
(as modifier)background information

a low level of sound, lighting, etc, whose purpose is to be an unobtrusive or appropriate accompaniment to something else, such as a social activity, conversation, or the action of a film
(as modifier)background music

Also called: background radiation physics low-intensity radiation as, for example, from small amounts of radioisotopes in soil, air, building materials, etc

electronics

unwanted effects, such as noise, occurring in a measuring instrument, electronic device, etc
(as modifier)background interference

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

background

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

Idioms for background

Origin of background

SYNONYMS FOR background

Words nearby background

Example sentences from the Web for background

British Dictionary definitions for background

noun

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

background

noun

adjective

verb (used with object)

Idioms for background

Origin of background

SYNONYMS FOR background

Words nearby background

Words related to background

Example sentences from the Web for background

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noun

British Dictionary definitions for background