background

Present but less noticeable or important than the main thing happening.

• Soft background music filled the room.
• The recording contains too much background noise.
• He removed a few background details from the story.

Similar words: secondary

Opposites: main

Common phrases: background noise, background music, background activity

Things you see or hear behind the main person, object, or sound.

• There are hills in the background.
• I heard a dog barking in the background.
• She photographed the red flowers against a green background.

How to use it: in the background (You can hear birds in the background.); against a background of something (The white flowers stood against a background of dark leaves.)

Similar words: backdrop

Opposites: foreground

Common phrases: in the background, background of something, dark background, picture background

A person’s past experiences, education, family, and the circumstances they grew up in.

• We come from different backgrounds.
• Her background in nursing helped her get the job.
• The company checked his background before hiring him.

How to use it: background in something (She has a background in engineering.); come from a background (He comes from a farming background.)

Similar words: history, upbringing

Common phrases: family background, educational background, background in something

Computer activity that continues while you use another program and is usually hidden from view.

• The app runs in the background.
• Updates were downloading in the background while I worked.
• Close programs that are using memory in the background.

How to use it: in the background (The download continues in the background.)

Opposites: foreground

Common phrases: in the background, run in background

To put something behind the main subject or make it less noticeable or important.

• The designer backgrounded the trees.
• Try to background these details in your account.
• She backgrounded the buildings to make the people stand out.

Similar words: de-emphasize

Opposites: foreground

Common phrases: background something, background minor details