background in WordNet English dictionary

1. scenery hung at back of stage
   backdrop  background  backcloth 
   
2. (computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear
   background  desktop  screen background 
   
3. a person's social heritage: previous experience or training
   "he is a lawyer with a sports background"
   background 
   
4. the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground
   "he posed her against a background of rolling hills"
   background  ground 
   
5. information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem
   "the embassy filled him in on the background of the incident"
   background  background knowledge 
   
6. extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured
   "they got a bad connection and could hardly hear one another over the background signals"
   background  background signal 
   
7. relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation
   "when the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background"
   background 
   
8. the state of the environment in which a situation exists
   "you can't do that in a university setting"
   setting  background  scope 
   

1. understate the importance or quality of
   "he played down his royal ancestry"
   background  play down  downplay