From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbackdropback‧drop /ˈbækdrɒp $ -drɑːp/ noun [countable] 1 literaryBEHIND the scenery behind something that you are looking atbackdrop to The sea made a splendid backdrop to the garden.2 CONDITION/STATE OF somethingthe conditions or situation in which something happensagainst a backdrop of something a love story set against a backdrop of war and despair3 APTa painted cloth hung across the back of a stage
Examples from the Corpus
backdrop• Their meeting will happen against a backdrop of increasing hardship for ordinary Russian citizens.• Unhappily-married Cape Town journalist Toni Balser finds true love against a backdrop of gruesome township violence.• The clarity of light throws everything into sharp relief against a backdrop of clear blue sky.• They're likely to be trees or shrubs which show up in winter but become a backdrop for the rich summer display.• Against this bleak backdrop, there are rays of hope.• Katell was fighting a cold and her show was played out against the distracting backdrop of a surreal domestic theatre set.• He writes taut, thrilling mysteries, delicately set against the backdrop of the sprawling Navajo Reservation.• It is the backdrop to the city's continued economic growth.• The snow-covered Rocky Mountains made a wonderful backdrop for the concert.against a backdrop of something• And against a backdrop of needs for housing and jobs, the idea of saving trees and wildlife may seem superfluous.• The debate in Congress comes against a backdrop of complaints over the high cost of independent counsel investigations.• Unhappily-married Cape Town journalist Toni Balser finds true love against a backdrop of gruesome township violence.• The action must take place against a backdrop of some description, even if it it is a blank black curtain.• The clarity of light throws everything into sharp relief against a backdrop of clear blue sky.• I photographed them against a backdrop of distant volcanoes using a yellow filter to accentuate the wispy white clouds above.• With the Clintons, such masterful performances can seem surreal, since they inevitably unfold against a backdrop of turmoil and controversy. 