in the background
idiom
: in a position that avoids attracting attention
He was a shy man who always tried to keep/stay in the background.
Examples of in the background in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mostly, social commentary is left in the background, and the problems the characters face are explicitly of their own making.
—
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
At the end of July, Caroline Stanbury was doing a podcast video talking about her skin-care line when her husband, Sergio Carrallo, showed up in the background nude from the waist down like an Italian, soccer-playing Donald Duck.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
All these possibilities can camouflage fences in the background.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
The song was famously included in Mean Girls back in 2004, playing in the background as Regina George’s sister dances while watching Girls Gone Wild.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the background
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Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025
At the end of July, Caroline Stanbury was doing a podcast video talking about her skin-care line when her husband, Sergio Carrallo, showed up in the background nude from the waist down like an Italian, soccer-playing Donald Duck.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
All these possibilities can camouflage fences in the background.
—Neil Sperry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
The song was famously included in Mean Girls back in 2004, playing in the background as Regina George’s sister dances while watching Girls Gone Wild.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in the background
Cite this Entry
“In the background.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20background. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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