'background' definitions:
Definition of 'background'
(from WordNet)
noun
A person's social heritage: previous experience or training; "he is a lawyer with a sports background"
noun
The part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground; "he posed her against a background of rolling hills" [syn: background, ground]
noun
Information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem; "the embassy filled him in on the background of the incident" [syn: background, background knowledge]
noun
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" [syn: background, background signal]
noun
Relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation; "when the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background"
noun
The state of the environment in which a situation exists; "you can't do that in a university setting" [syn: setting, background, scope]
noun
(computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear [syn: background, desktop, screen background]
noun
verb
Definition of 'background'
From: GCIDE
- background \back"ground`\, n. [Back, a. + ground.] [1913 Webster]
- 1. Ground in the rear or behind, or in the distance, as opposed to the foreground, or the ground in front. [1913 Webster]
- 2. (Paint.) The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures. [1913 Webster]
- Note: The distance in a picture is usually divided into foreground, middle distance, and background. --Fairholt. [1913 Webster]
- 3. Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings. [1913 Webster]
- 4. A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight. [1913 Webster]
- I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance. --Mrs. Alexander. [1913 Webster]
- A husband somewhere in the background. --Thackeray. [1913 Webster]
- 5. The set of conditions within which an action takes place, including the social and physical conditions as well as the psychological states of the participants; as, within the background of the massive budget deficits of the 1980's, new spending programs had little chance of passage by the congress. [PJC]
- 6. The set of conditions that precede and affect an action, such as the social and historical precedents for the event, as well as the general background[5]; as, against the background of their expulsion by the Serbs, the desire of Kosovars for vengeance is understandable though regrettable. [PJC]
- 7. (Science) The signals that may be detected by a measurement which are not due to the phenomenon being studied, and tend to make the measurement uncertain to a greater or lesser degree. Specifically: (Physics) Electronic noise present in a system using electronic measuring instrument or in a telecommunications system, which may hide and which must be differentiated from the desired signal; also called background noise or noise. [PJC]
- 8. (Journalism) An agreement between a journalist and an interviewee that the name of the interviewee will not be quoted in any publication, although the substance of the remarks may be reported; -- often used in the phrase "on background". Compare deep background. [PJC]
- To place in the background, to make of little consequence.
- To keep in the background, to remain unobtrusive, inconspicuous or out of sight; -- of people.
- deep background, (Journalism) the status of an interview which must not be quoted in a publication, even without attribution. Compare background[8]. [1913 Webster +PJC]
Synonyms of 'background'
From: Moby Thesaurus
- action,
- agora,
- amphitheater,
- anagnorisis,
- angle,
- architectonics,
- architecture,
- arena,
- argument,
- athletic field,
- atmosphere,
- auditorium,
- back,
- backdrop,
- background detail,
- backstage,
- bear garden,
- behind the scenes,
- blaseness,
- bowl,
- boxing ring,
- breeding,
- bull ring,
- campus,
- canvas,
- catastrophe,
- characterization,
- circus,
- cockpit,
- coliseum,
- color,
- colosseum,
- complication,
- continuity,
- contrivance,
- course,
- credentials,
- curriculum vitae,
- decorative composition,
- decorative style,
- denouement,
- design,
- detail,
- development,
- device,
- distance,
- episode,
- experience,
- fable,
- falling action,
- family,
- field,
- figure,
- floor,
- foil,
- foreground detail,
- form,
- forum,
- gimmick,
- ground,
- gym,
- gymnasium,
- hall,
- hinterland,
- hippodrome,
- history,
- horizon,
- in the background,
- incident,
- inconspicuous,
- line,
- lists,
- local color,
- locale,
- marketplace,
- mat,
- milieu,
- mise-en-scene,
- mood,
- motif,
- movement,
- mythos,
- national style,
- obscurity,
- offing,
- open forum,
- ornamental motif,
- palaestra,
- parade ground,
- past experience,
- pattern,
- period style,
- peripeteia,
- pit,
- place,
- plan,
- platform,
- plot,
- practical knowledge,
- practice,
- precinct,
- prize ring,
- public square,
- purlieu,
- range,
- rear,
- recognition,
- remote distance,
- repeated figure,
- ring,
- rising action,
- sagacity,
- scene,
- scene of action,
- scenery,
- scheme,
- seasoning,
- secondary plot,
- setting,
- site,
- slant,
- sophistication,
- sphere,
- squared circle,
- stadium,
- stage,
- stage set,
- stage setting,
- story,
- structure,
- style,
- subject,
- subplot,
- switch,
- tempering,
- terrain,
- the distance,
- theater,
- thematic development,
- theme,
- tilting ground,
- tiltyard,
- tone,
- topic,
- touch,
- training,
- twist,
- unnoticed,
- unobtrusive,
- unseen,
- upbringing,
- vanishing point,
- walk,
- worldly wisdom,
- wrestling ring
Words containing 'background'
- backgrounder,
- backgrounding,
- To keep in the background,
- To place in the background,
- background knowledge,
- background level,
- background noise,
- background processing,
- background radiation,
- background signal,
- deep background,
- screen background,
- cosmic background radiation,
- cosmic microwave background,
- cosmic microwave background radiation