backdrop
Words nearby backdrop
MORE ABOUT BACKDROP
What does backdrop mean?
Backdrop refers to the background or setting of a situation or event.
It can refer to something physically located in the background of something else, such as a backdrop used for a photo shoot. It can also be used figuratively to refer to circumstances that surround an event, as in a backdrop of scandal and accusations of fraud.
More specifically, a backdrop is the curtain that hangs at the back of the stage in a theater, as in We have to fix the rips in the backdrop before the big show.
Less commonly, backdrop can also be used as a verb to mean providing a background for something, as in The towering trees backdropped the outdoor photo shoot.
Example: The film took place against the backdrop of World War II and featured major events from the war.
Where does backdrop come from?
The first records of the word backdrop come from the early 1910s. It was first used in the U.S. It’s simply a combination of back, meaning “the rear part,” and drop, referring to something that falls or hangs vertically—like the back curtain of a stage.
While many theater backdrops are plain black or red, they can also be painted or printed with a scene that relates to the show being staged. In everyday use, backdrop is often used figuratively to refer to the conditions or circumstances that surround an event to provide context. In other words, the backdrop of an even consists of the things happening in the background (and the word background can be used as a synonym of this sense of backdrop).
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How is backdrop used in real life?
Backdrop is commonly used to refer figuratively to the background or context of a situation.
Today is the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic I Have A Dream speech at the 1963 March on Washington.
Half a century later, against the backdrop of nationwide uprisings demanding racial justice, much of his words still ring true.
Let's revisit them.
— ACLU (@ACLU) August 28, 2020
Club Historian John Hutchinson's new series continues with the story of how #lcfc encountered major off-field problems amid the backdrop of The Battle of Britain ⤵️
— Leicester City (@LCFC) November 17, 2020
Sorry the meet and greet didn't have the backdrop. One of our busses broke down last night and it was on it. I'm just glad we made it here!
— h (@halsey) August 13, 2016
Try using backdrop!
Is backdrop used correctly in the following sentence?
The self-portrait depicted the artist posing in front of a backdrop of a lush garden.