back ‧ ground S2 W2 /ˈbækɡraʊnd/ BrE AmE noun
1 . [countable] someone’s family, education, previous work etc:
Students with a background in chemistry will probably find the course easier.
It’s important to understand other people, people from different backgrounds.
Do you know anything about his background?
2 . [uncountable and countable] the situation or past events that explain why something happens in the way that it does
background to
Without knowing the background to the case, I couldn’t possibly comment.
against a background of something
The peace talks are being held against a background of increasing violence.
background information/details/data etc
The author included a new chapter of background material for the second edition of the book.
3 . [countable usually singular] the area that is behind the main thing that you are looking at, especially in a picture:
The background looks out of focus.
in the background
In the background, you can see my college friends.
4 . [countable] the pattern or colour on top of which something has been drawn, printed etc:
red lettering on a white background
5 . in the background someone who keeps or stays in the background tries not to be noticed:
The president’s advisors are content to remain in the background.
6 . [uncountable and countable] the sounds that you can hear apart from the main thing that you are listening to
in the background
In the background, I could hear the sound of traffic.
All of the background noise made it difficult to have a phone conversation.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ family background
Many kids lack a stable family background.
▪ social background
Universities aim to attract students from varied social backgrounds.
▪ cultural background
Some of his attitudes were due to his cultural background.
▪ ethnic background
We do not discriminate against people because of their ethnic background or gender.
▪ class background
Class background is an important factor in the level of schooling achieved.
▪ socio-economic background
Smokers often come from poorer socio-economic backgrounds.
▪ educational/academic background
The interviewer will ask you about your educational background and work experience.
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Postgraduate students come from a wide range of academic backgrounds.
▪ professional background
Managers can come from a wide range of professional backgrounds.
▪ a working-class/middle-class background
I came from a very poor working-class background.
▪ a deprived/disadvantaged background
The school has a high percentage of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
▪ a poor background
His poor background prevented him from going to medical college.
▪ a privileged/wealthy background
All the top jobs were taken by people from privileged backgrounds.
■ verbs
▪ have a background (in something)
We are looking for someone who has a background in science.
▪ come from a background
Mark and I came from very similar backgrounds.
■ phrases
▪ a range of backgrounds
People from a wide range of backgrounds go to watch football.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ class a group of students or schoolchildren who are taught together:
There are twenty kids in the class.
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She gets along well with the other children in her class.
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I’m going out with some friends from my dance class.
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'I graduated in 1999.' 'What class were you in?'
▪ background the type of home and family you come from, and its social class:
The school takes kids from all sorts of backgrounds.
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We come from the same town and share a similar background.
| working-class/middle-class etc background :
The organization helps children from working-class backgrounds to go to university.
▪ middle-class belonging to the class of people who are usually well educated, fairly rich, and who work in jobs which they have trained to do. For example, doctors, lawyers, and managers are middle-class:
The newspaper’s readers are mostly middle class.
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They live in a middle-class neighbourhood on the edge of town.
▪ white-collar someone who works in an office, not a factory, mine etc: white-collar worker/job/employee :
The economic recession has put many white-collar workers in danger of losing their jobs.
▪ working-class belonging to the class of people who do not have much money or power, and who have jobs where they do physical work. For example, factory workers, builders, and drivers are working-class:
Most of the people who live round here are working class.
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I come from a working-class family – I’m the first one to graduate from college.
▪ blue-collar someone who does physical work, for example in a factory or a mine, and does not work in an office: blue-collar worker/job/employee :
His political support comes mainly from blue-collar workers.
▪ upper-class belonging to the class of people who originally had most of the money and power, especially families that own a lot of land:
Most senior politicians in the UK are from upper-class families.
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He spoke with an upper-class accent.
▪ underclass the lowest social class, who are very poor and may not have jobs, homes etc:
The government has created an underclass who do not feel they have any rights in society.