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
Tuttle acknowledges that while not an immediate fear, the general rise of far-right politics bubbles as a concern in the background.
—
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
Chloe quietly trained in the background and watched the sport progress to bigger tricks.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
As the camera circles the car, two other portions of Kennedy’s speech play in the background.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Martin delivered his portion of the performance in a near-perfect recreation of the Debí Tirar Más Fotos album cover, which features two white plastic chairs in a lush lawn with a bunch of bananas in the background.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
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Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Feb. 2026
Chloe quietly trained in the background and watched the sport progress to bigger tricks.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026
As the camera circles the car, two other portions of Kennedy’s speech play in the background.
—Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
Martin delivered his portion of the performance in a near-perfect recreation of the Debí Tirar Más Fotos album cover, which features two white plastic chairs in a lush lawn with a bunch of bananas in the background.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Feb. 2026
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 16 Feb. 2026.
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