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 the plane or ground in a picture upon which all other planes or forms appear superimposed a person's social class, education, training, or experience the social, historical, or technical circumstances that lead up to or help to explain something (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
low-intensity radiation as, for example, from small amounts of radioisotopes in soil, air, building materials, etc unwanted effects, such as noise, occurring in a measuring instrument, electronic device, etc
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
back•ground /ˈbækˌgraʊnd/USA pronunciation n. [countable]
adj. [before a noun]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- [usually singular]
- the ground, parts, people, or things at the back or rear, as of a picture, a painting, or a place.
- a person's origin, education, and experience in relation to his or her status:comes from a musical background.
- the conditions or causes of an event or situation: The book explores the background of the war.
adj. [before a noun]
- of, relating to, or being a background: background noise.
back•ground
(bak′ground′),USA pronunciation n.
adj.
v.t.
- the ground or parts, as of a scene, situated in the rear (opposed to foreground).
- Fine Art
- 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. - Physicsthe 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.
- Idioms in or into the background, unobtrusive;
inconspicuous;
out of sight or notice;
in or into obscurity:He kept his dishonest dealings in the background.
adj.
- of, pertaining to, or serving as a background:background noise.
v.t.
- 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.
- back1 + ground1 1665–75
- 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged environment, circumstances, upbringing, milieu, element, sphere, medium.
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