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background Definition

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background
verb(back-ground)
understate the importance or quality of
Synonyms: downplay, play down,
Antonyms: foreground,
background
noun(back-ground)
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
Synonyms: ground,
Examples:
He posed her against a background of rolling hills.
background
noun(back-ground)
scenery hung at back of stage
Synonyms: backcloth, backdrop,
background
noun(back-ground)
(computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear
Synonyms: desktop, screen background,
background
noun(back-ground)
the state of the environment in which a situation exists
Synonyms: scope, setting,
background
noun(back-ground)
information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem
Synonyms: background knowledge,
Examples:
The embassy filled him in on the background of the incident.
background
noun(back-ground)
extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured
Synonyms: background signal,
Examples:
They got a bad connection and could hardly hear one another over the background signals.
background
noun(back-ground)
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
Examples:
He is a lawyer with a sports background.
background
noun(back-ground)
relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation
Examples:
When the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background.

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