📒 the details of a person’s family, education, experience, etc.
- somebody's ethnic/genetic/cultural background
- somebody's family/educational background
- The job would suit someone with a business background.
📒 the circumstances or past events that help explain why something is how it is; information about these
- I'm including a little background information on the situation.
- background to something The book explains the complex historical background to the war.
- against a background of something The elections are taking place against a background of violence.
📒 the part of a picture, photograph or view behind the main objects, people, etc.
- in the background a photograph with trees in the background
- A shadowy figure is visible in the background of the scene.
- against the… background The areas of water stood out against the dark background.
📒 a position in which people are not paying attention to somebody/something or not as much attention as they are paying to somebody/something else
- The camerawork, the background music and the locations all contribute to the mood of the film.
- There was a lot of background noise (= that you could hear, but were not listening to).
- background radiation
📒 a colour or design on which something is painted, drawn, etc.
- on a… background The name of the company is written in red on a white background.
- against a… background Most paintings look good against a neutral background colour.
📒 used to refer to tasks or processes that the user is not actively working on at the present time
- in the background Programs can be left running in the background.
- Find and kill unwanted background processes like viruses and trojans.
📒 to behave quietly when you are with a group of people so that they do not notice you