Background

/ˈbæk(ɡ)ɹaʊnd/ · adjective

Meaning

Less important or less noticeable in a scene or system..

Definitions by Sense

1. Less important or less noticeable in a scene or system.
2. One's social heritage, or previous life; what one did in the past.
3. A part of the picture that depicts scenery to the rear or behind the main subject; context.
4. (film) An extra who appears in the background, with no speaking role.
5. Information relevant to the current situation about past events; history.
6. A less important feature of scenery (as opposed to foreground).
7. (computing) The image or color over which a computer's desktop items are shown (e.g. icons or application windows).
8. (computing) A type of activity on a computer that is not normally visible to the user.

Example Sentences

background noise

The antivirus program runs on a background thread.

The lawyer had a background in computer science.

Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close[…]above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them. Many insects probably use this strategy, which is a close analogy to crypsis in the visible world — camouflage and other methods for blending into one’s visual background.

There was tons of noise in the background.

The photographer let us pick a background for the portrait.

The antivirus program is running in the background.

low-background

Synonyms for background

Antonyms for background

Related Words

Word Forms

• back ground
• backgrounds
• backgrounding
• backgrounded

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

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