background noun
1 type of family/social class sb comes from
ADJ. broad, narrow It is important to have a broad educational background. | mixed | privileged, wealthy | deprived, disadvantaged, poor | middle class, upper class, working class | academic, class, cultural, educational, ethnic, family, military, professional, religious, social, socio-economic
VERB + BACKGROUND come from, have He came from a very privileged background. | be drawn from The students are drawn from very mixed social backgrounds.
BACKGROUND + VERB be in sth Her background was in biology and medicine.
PREP. from a ~ children from deprived backgrounds | with a ~ an economist with a background in business | ~ in
PHRASES a range/variety of backgrounds
2 facts connected with a situation/event
ADJ. general | factual | cultural, economic, historical, political, technical
VERB + BACKGROUND describe, give (sb), outline, provide (sb with) The book provides the background to the revolution. | form Those discussions formed the background to the decision.
BACKGROUND + NOUN information, knowledge, reading background information on the country
PREP. against the ~ Against that general background I shall give you a more detailed view of current medical practice. | ~ to the technical background to the report
3 part of a view/picture behind the main parts
PREP. against a/the ~ The areas of water stood out against the dark background. | in the ~ The mountains in the background were capped with snow. | on a/the ~ bright blue on a red background
4 position in which sb/sth is not important/noticed
VERB + BACKGROUND blend into, fade into, melt/merge into, recede/retreat into, slip into The dispute over the new contract allowed her other problems to fade into the background. He had learnt how to melt invisibly into the background. | keep/remain/stay in He prefers to remain in the background and let his assistant deal with the press. | hover in I could see my secretary hovering in the background.
BACKGROUND + NOUN music, noise, radiation
PREP. in the ~ There was a radio on in the background.
You can also check other dicts: background (English, 中文解释 ), wordnet sense, Collins Definition