What does "background" mean?
Background: (Paint.) The space which is behind and subordinate to a portrait or group of figures. Note: The distance in a picture is usually divided into foreground, middle distance, and background. Fairholt.
Additional senses
- 2.Anything behind, serving as a foil; as, the statue had a background of red hangings.
- 3.A place in obscurity or retirement, or out of sight. I fancy there was a background of grinding and waiting before Miss Torry could produce this highly finished . . . performance. Mrs. Alexander. A husband somewhere in the background. Thackeray.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00