(computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear
a person's social heritage: previous experience or training; "he is a lawyer with a sports background"
information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem; "the embassy filled him in on the background of the incident"
the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground; "he posed her against a background of rolling hills"
relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation; "when the rain came he could hear the sound of thunder in the background"
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"
understate the importance or quality of; "he played down his royal ancestry"
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal); "they concocted a plot to discredit the governor"; "I saw through his little game from the start"
the story that is told in a novel or play or movie etc.; "the characters were well drawn but the plot was banal"
a chart or map showing the movements or progress of an object
a small area of ground covered by specific vegetation; "a bean plot"; "a cabbage patch"; "a briar patch"
plan secretly, usually something illegal; "They plotted the overthrow of the government"
a piece of land prepared for playing a game; "the home crowd cheered when Princeton took the field"
the circumstances under which competition occurs; "the government's objective is to insure a genuinely level playing field for American industry and commerce in Europe"