background
/ˈbækgraʊnd/ nounDefinition
SOUND [no plural] › Sounds in the background are not the main sounds you can hear: background music/noise I could hear a baby crying in the background.
PERSON [C] › a person's education, family, and experience of life: She came from a middle-class background.
PICTURE [C, U] › the parts at the back of a picture, view, etc which are not the main things you look at: gold stars on a black background
SITUATION [C] › the situation that an event happens in, or things which have happened in the past which affect it: [usually singular] The talks are taking place against a background of economic uncertainty.
in the background › If a person stays in the background, they try not to be noticed.
(Definition of background noun from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary
© Cambridge University Press)
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