backdrop

noun

back·​drop ˈbak-ˌdräp How to pronounce backdrop (audio)
1
: a painted cloth hung across the rear of a stage
2
backdrop transitive verb

Examples of backdrop in a Sentence

The mountains provided a perfect backdrop for the wedding photos. The novel unfolds against a backdrop of war. The city provides the backdrop for the love story.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Multiple fires are burning in Orange County, New York, where County Executive Steve Neuhaus spoke amid a backdrop of overhead-height flames late Sunday afternoon. Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 10 Nov. 2024 And that moment of Rio using her knife to cut through the backdrop was pointing at that idea. Brian Davids, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Nov. 2024 Here, colorful cabins contrast colossal ice cap backdrops and vibrant celestial phenomena light the sky. Yahya Salem, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024 The very real-life British tycoon Robert Maxwell as Rogers’ main competitor also features along with Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev, as the licensing battles took place against the backdrop of the changing situation in the USSR. John Bleasdale, Variety, 3 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for backdrop 

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of backdrop was in 1866

Dictionary Entries Near backdrop

Cite this Entry

“Backdrop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backdrop. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

backdrop

noun
back·​drop ˈbak-ˌdräp How to pronounce backdrop (audio)
1
: a painted cloth hung across the rear of a stage
2

More from Merriam-Webster on backdrop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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