Definition of background Background

/bæˈkgɹawˌnd/ - [bakgrawnd] - back•ground

We found 22 definitions of background from 5 different sources.

What does background mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: backgrounds
background - extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured; "they got a bad connection and could hardly hear one another over the background signals"
		background signal
		interference, noise, disturbance (American football) blocking a player's path with your body; "he ran interference for the quarterback"
		background noise, ground noise extraneous noise contaminating sound measurements that cannot be separated from the desired signal
background - (computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear
		desktop, screen background
		crt screen, screen a protective covering consisting of netting; can be mounted in a frame; "they put screens in the windows for protection against insects"; "a metal screen protected the observers"
background - information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem; "the embassy filled him in on the background of the incident"
		background knowledge
		information (communication theory) a numerical measure of the uncertainty of an outcome; "the signal contained thousands of bits of information"
background - relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation; "when the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background"
		concomitant, co-occurrence, attendant, accompaniment a person who is present and participates in a meeting; "he was a regular attender at department meetings"; "the gathering satisfied both organizers and attendees"
background - a person's social heritage: previous experience or training; "he is a lawyer with a sports background"
background - the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground; "he posed her against a background of rolling hills"
		ground
background - the state of the environment in which a situation exists; "you can't do that in a university setting"
		setting, scope
		environment the area in which something exists or lives; "the country--the flat agricultural surround"
		canvas, canvass a heavy, closely woven fabric (used for clothing or chairs or sails or tents)
background - scenery hung at back of stage
		backdrop, backcloth
Verb backgrounds, backgrounding, backgrounded
background - understate the importance or quality of; "he played down his royal ancestry"
		play down, downplay
		foreground, highlight, play up, spotlight move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent; "The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics"
		accent, accentuate, emphasise, emphasize, punctuate, stress insert punctuation marks into
		wave off dismiss as insignificant; "He waved off suggestions of impropriety"
		soft-pedal play down or obscure; "His advisers soft-pedaled the president's blunder"

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Wiktionary

background (Noun)
One's social heritage; what one did in the past/previously.
background (Noun)
A part of the picture that depicts scenery to the rear or behind the main subject; context.
background (Noun)
Information relevant to the current situation about past events; history.
background (Noun)
A less important feature of scenery.
background (Noun)
The image or color, over which a computer's desktop items are shown e. g. icons or application windows.
background (Noun)
Activity on a computer that is not normally visible to the user.
background (Verb)
To put in a position that is not prominent.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

background (n.)
Ground in the rear or behind, or in the distance, as opposed to the foreground, or the ground in front.
background (n.)
The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures.
background (n.)
Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings.
background (n.)
A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight.

OmegaWiki DictionaryOmegaWiki Dictionary Ω

background
That which is farthest away from the front.

Part of speech

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background, verb, present, 1st person singular of background (infinitive).
background, verb (infinitive).
background, noun, singular of backgrounds.
background, adjective.