# context

/ˈkɑntɛkst/ (US) · /kˈɒntɛkst/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/context
Updated: 2026-07-22

## Senses

### 1. surrounding circumstances

noun · CEFR A2

the situation or background information that helps you understand why something happened.

For teachers: the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, or story.

- To understand the politician's decision, you need to look at the historical context of the country.
- Without the proper historical context, it is difficult for modern readers to grasp the social significance of the protagonist's rebellion.

Usage: Often used with the prepositions 'in' or 'within'.

### 2. surrounding text

noun · CEFR B1 · Academic

the words that come before and after a specific word and help explain its meaning.

For teachers: the parts of a written or spoken statement that precede or follow a specific word or passage, usually influencing its meaning or effect.

- If you don't know what a word means, try to guess it from the context of the sentence.
- The critic was accused of quoting the author out of context to make the book seem more controversial than it actually was.

Usage: Commonly appears in the phrase 'out of context' to describe a quote used unfairly.

### 3. archaeological site

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the exact place and surroundings where an old object is found by experts.

For teachers: the relationship that an artifact has to all the other artifacts and features found in the same archaeological site.

- When the vase was moved, it lost its context, making it harder for experts to date it.
- The primary context of the burial site remained undisturbed, allowing researchers to map the precise placement of the ritual offerings.

### 4. computing/programming

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

the data or settings a computer needs to finish a specific task or switch between jobs.

For teachers: the minimal set of data used by a task that must be saved to allow a task interruption and a continuation from the same point.

- The application stores the user's context so they can continue where they left off.
- Frequent context switching between threads can significantly degrade the performance of the operating system due to the overhead involved.

## Examples

- You need to understand the historical context of the book.
- The politician claimed her comments were taken out of context and meant something completely different in the original interview.
- To fully appreciate the archaeological findings, researchers must analyze the physical context in which the artifacts were buried, including soil composition and nearby structures.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.