# background

Pronunciation: say "BAK-grownd" /ˈbæk(ɡ)ɹaʊnd/

## Noun

1. A person's social heritage and past experiences; the life they came from.
   - Simple: The family, culture, and life experiences that a person comes from.
   - _Applicants from many different backgrounds attended the open day._
   - _Her background in music shaped how she approached teaching._
2. The part of a picture, scene or view that lies behind the main subject or the foreground.
   - Simple: The part of a picture or view that is behind the main thing you look at.
   - _The portrait's dark background draws the eye toward the sitter's face._
   - _She blurred the background so the bride stood out sharply in the shot._
3. Information about past events that is relevant to understanding the current situation.
   - Simple: Facts about past events that help you understand what is happening now.
   - _The article opened with enough background to explain the conflict's origins._
   - _Detectives gathered background on the suspect's recent movements._
4. A less prominent position, in which a person or thing draws less notice or carries less weight than others in a situation or activity.
   - Simple: A place where someone or something gets less attention or seems less important than others.
   - _The founder has moved into the background and lets her deputies run the company._
   - _During the campaign, questions about the budget were pushed into the background._
6. A class of computer activity that runs without normally being visible to the user.
   - Simple: Work a computer does that you usually cannot see while you use it.
   - _The sync service operates in the background, uploading changes as they happen._
   - _Closing the window doesn't stop the task; it simply continues in the background._
7. The image or color displayed behind the icons and windows on a computer's desktop.
   - Simple: The picture or color shown behind the icons on a computer screen.
   - _He customized the background with a dark gradient to reduce eye strain._
   - _The new update reset everyone's desktop background to the default image._
8. Ellipsis of background radiation. — Ellipsis of background radiation.
   - Simple: Short for background radiation. It names the low-level radiation around us all the time, mostly from natural sources.
   - _Geiger counters always register some background, even far from any source._
   - _Before testing the ore for radioactivity, the team measured the natural background in the room so they could subtract it from the readings._
12. An extra who appears behind the main action of a scene and has no speaking role.
   - Simple: A person who appears behind the main action in a film scene and has no speaking role.
   - _Before the next take, the assistant director moved the background to the far end of the bar._
   - _He started his career as background before landing speaking parts._

## Adjective

5. Of less importance or noticeability within a scene or system.
   - Simple: Less important or less easy to notice within a scene or system.
   - _Background characters filled the busy market scene without any lines._
   - _The report treated safety as a background concern rather than a priority._

## Verb

9. To move something into a less prominent position.
   - Simple: To move something to a less important place.
   - _Her biography of the general backgrounds his battles, concentrating instead on his long, troubled marriage._
   - _Editors often background minor characters to keep the plot moving._
10. To position something within the background of an image or arrangement.
   - Simple: To put something behind the main thing in a picture or scene.
   - _To create a sense of depth, the designer chose to background the city skyline and place the product in sharp focus up front._
   - _The photographer backgrounded the old lighthouse, letting it sit small and hazy behind the two figures on the beach._
11. To research a subject and give someone, such as a reporter or an official, the background information needed to understand it.
   - Simple: To collect and share facts about the history of a topic or person.
   - _Editors asked her to background the new policy before the segment aired._
   - _He backgrounded the dispute thoroughly so listeners understood its origins._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To raise a calf's weight and immunity by feeding it forage and grain, as an intermediate stage between weaning and the feedlot.

## Origin

Formed from the words "back" and "ground."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/background (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).