backdrop

A decorated cloth hung at the back of a stage.

Noun

  1. A decorated cloth hung at the back of a stage.
  2. An image that serves as a visual background.
    • The president spoke outside the brick exterior of the firehouse for Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company 10, against the backdrop of a 56-foot-long bronze bas-relief depicting the towers in flames. - 2006 September 11,...
    • Animated, seemingly varied crowd movement will place a game in the early 1990s, while static crowd backdrops and blocky, sprite-based athletes tend to point toward technology used in the 1980s. - 2008, Guy W....
    • It's not the longest or tallest viaduct in Britain, but the landscape upon which it sits makes for a stunning backdrop. - 2025 October 1, Chris Howe, “Top 10: Britain's most significant rail bridges: Ribblehead...
  3. The setting or background of an acted performance.
    • Blackpool’s aggregate victory ensures Birmingham are now preparing for a potential summer of change. Manager Chris Hughton has been operating against a backdrop of financial uncertainty all season and last night Peter...
    • Specifically on the question of Article 8 considerations, the Court of Appeal expressed the view that it was difficult to see how a chief constable’s decision to disclose [the applicant’s charges to the employer] could...
    • All of this heightened hyper-reaction to criticism plays out against a backdrop of dangerous moves by Israel and its supporters in the US to not only defame and politically punish critics and in some instances to go...
  4. Any background situation.
    • Against a backdrop of falling interest rates, the new savings account is looking less appealing.
    • Against this backdrop, RDG said it needed to "review historic working practices so that the railway can respond to changing passenger needs and enable future growth". - 2021 October 20, Philip Haigh, “RDG lauches...
    • In its new round of cuts, the company hopes to “meaningfully accelerate our path to profitability even in the backdrop of the current crypto market,” the Winklevosses wrote in a blog post on Thursday. - 2026 February 5,...

Origin

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *bʰeg-der.? Proto-Germanic *baką Proto-West Germanic *bak Old English bæc Middle English bak English back English drop English backdrop From back + drop.

Forms

backdrops

Verb

  1. To serve as a backdrop for.
    • a brilliant sunset backdropping the famous skyline

Forms

backdrops backdropping backdropped