VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

background

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈbækɡraʊnd/
US/ˈbækɡraʊnd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    The family, schooling, culture and experience that have shaped who a person is.

    Grammar: Often modified: a strong background, a poor background.

    Patterns

    • background in something
    • from a ... background

    She comes from a farming background.

    He has a background in chemistry and finance.

    People from different backgrounds joined the club.

  2. nounsingular

    The part of a picture, scene or view that lies behind the main subject.

    Grammar: Usually with the or in: in the background.

    Patterns

    • in the background
    • against a background of something

    Mountains rose in the background of the photo.

    The actors stood against a plain white background.

    You can blur the background during a video call.

  3. noununcountable

    Facts and events that help explain how a situation came about.

    Grammar: Often used before a noun: background information.

    Patterns

    • background to something
    • background information

    The report gives useful background to the crisis.

    Let me give you some background before the meeting.

    Reporters checked the background of the story.

  4. nounsingular

    A faint level of sound or activity that is present but not the center of attention.

    Grammar: Often before another noun: background noise, background music.

    Patterns

    • in the background
    • background noise

    Soft jazz played in the background.

    I could hear traffic in the background of the call.

    The program runs quietly in the background.

Word forms

pluralbackgrounds

Common combinations

educational background
Her educational background is in biology.
background check
The employer ran a background check on each applicant.
background noise
Background noise made the interview hard to hear.
in the background
A dog barked in the background.
stay in the background
He prefers to stay in the background at parties.
cultural background
We celebrate our different cultural backgrounds.

Synonyms and how they differ

upbringing
Upbringing is limited to how you were raised as a child, while background can include later education and work.
context
Context is the surrounding circumstances that give meaning to something, rather than a person's history.
backdrop
Backdrop mostly means a literal scene behind action or the setting of events.
history
History is a record of past events and is broader than a person's personal origins.

Opposites

foreground

Word family

backgrounder noun
a short briefing that explains a topic
foreground noun
the part of a scene nearest the viewer
background verb
to give someone background information, or place something behind
backdrop noun
a painted cloth hung behind a stage or scene

Commonly confused: background or backward?

background vs backward

Backward describes direction or slow progress. Background is a noun about origins or what lies behind a main subject.

Practice

The company is looking for someone with a ______ in data analysis.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “background”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words