background

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

n. your past experiences, education, and family history.

n. the totality of a person's experience, including education, social heritage, and previous professional activity.

“The company is looking for someone with a background in sales.”

“Her diverse cultural background provided her with a unique perspective that proved invaluable during the international negotiations.”

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. the facts or events that explain why something is happening now.

n. the circumstances or events that precede a situation and help to explain it.

“Before we start the meeting, let me give you some background on the project.”

“The journalist provided extensive background on the conflict to help readers understand the current political tensions.”

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun Computing

n. tasks or images on a computer that you do not interact with directly.

n. the area of a display screen behind the active windows, or processes that run without user intervention.

“I changed my desktop background to a picture of the ocean.”

“Several applications were running in the background, which significantly slowed down the system's overall performance.”

B2 · Upper Intermediate Uncountable noun Theater

n. people who appear in a movie but do not speak or have a main role.

n. performers who appear in a production in a non-speaking capacity to provide realism to a scene.

“He worked as background in a few movies before getting a real acting job.”

“The production required over two hundred background actors to create the illusion of a crowded Victorian street market.”

C1 · Advanced Academic

v. to put something in a position where it is not the main focus.

v. to relegate something to a less important or less conspicuous position.

“The report backgrounds the financial details to focus on the social impact.”

“By backgrounding the historical data, the author successfully emphasizes the immediate psychological consequences of the event.”

B1 · Intermediate

adj. describing something that is always there but not the main focus.

adj. pertaining to sounds, light, or processes that are constant but secondary to the main activity.

“There was some background noise in the recording, but you could still hear him.”

“The study found that constant background music can actually improve concentration for certain types of repetitive tasks.”