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in the background

Definition of in the background

  1. :  in a position that avoids attracting attention He was a shy man who always tried to keep/stay in the background.

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Word by Word Definitions

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  1. :  the scenery or ground behind something

    :  the part of a painting representing what lies behind objects in the foreground

    :  an image that displays on a computer screen underneath the various available icons and windows

  1. :  to provide with background

See the full definition of background

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WORD OF THE DAY

waif

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an extremely thin woman

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TRENDING NOW

  1. Svengali 'A person who manipulates'

  2. syzygy An obscure astronomy term goes mainstream

  3. hegemon "Something having dominant influence over others"

  4. repugnant Trump clarifies his position on racism

  5. white nationalist, white supremacist Trending in 2017

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Words at Play

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We're Down With You Being—or Your Being?—a Square

It's about (you? your?) having your say.

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Devilish Words

Don't blame a word use error on the devil.

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How 'Wonderful' Lost Its Sense of Wonder

A case of semantic bleaching

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Don't Let Reading This Be Another 'Coulda' 'Shoulda' 'Woulda'

PSA: They're three separate words.

Ask the Editors

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Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

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How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

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Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

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Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

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Time Traveler Quiz: Which Word Came First?

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