in the background

phrase

: 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

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Payne’s former girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, also marked the anniversary on Instagram, sharing a video of the singer posing with a rainbow visible in the background. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 All the while, the Buckeyes just sat quietly in the background with the best player in the sport, waiting for their turn to prove the doubters wrong after a loss at Texas earlier in the season thanks to a fourth quarter collapse. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 The Frog and Toad books by Arnold Lobel are just kind of floating in the background throughout my childhood memories. — Literary Hub, 16 Oct. 2026 Sounds of shots being fired and a male voice speaking were audible in the background, police said. — Coleman Petit, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for in the background

Rhymes for in the background

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Browse Nearby Words

in the ascendant
in the background
in the bag
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Cite this Entry

“In the background.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20the%20background. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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