From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcontextcon‧text /ˈkɒntekst $ ˈkɑːn-/ ●●○ W2 AWL noun [countable, uncountable] 1 SITUATIONthe situation, events, or information that are related to something and that help you to understand itpolitical/social/historical etc context the political context of the electionplace/put/see etc something in context To appreciate what these changes will mean, it is necessary to look at them in context.in the context of something These incidents are best understood in the broader context of developments in rural society.2 SLthe words that come just before and after a word or sentence and that help you understand its meaning The meaning of ‘mad’ depends on its context.3 → take/quote something out of contextCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesthe social/political/historical etc contextYou often need to understand the cultural context of jokes.a wider/broader/larger context (=a more general situation, set of events etc)It’s important to look at the story in the wider context of medieval Spain.an international/European/British etc contextWe study the work of these artists in their European context.a general contextThis problem is occurring within a general context of economic difficulty.verbssee something in the context of something (=consider and understand something in relation to a particular situation)His life and work must be seen in the context of his youth.look at/examine etc something in contextAlthough this does not seem to be a good result, let’s examine it in context.put something in/into context (=consider something in context)These statistics need to be put into context.place/set something in context (=consider something in context)The issue must be placed within its historical context.provide a context for somethingThe study provides a context for future research.
Examples from the Corpus
context• But all this takes place within a context of direction.• This makes it absolutely clear that the early road and the drains belong in a mid to late second-century context.• These must be developed in context, through experiences.• The eucharistic recall of the paschal mystery was simply inserted into this thank-offering context.• English words can have several meanings depending on context.• The relationship between the sentence context and the target word varied.• It also occurs in the context of political protest.• It is recognised that in the Catholic school they will also be seen within the context of a wider and life-long catechesis.• In this context, a neutron star is effectively a single atomic nucleus.broader context• I had a broader context than most of the guys who just grew up in the street business.• Thus as I look at the figures I see the question in a broader context.• In a broader context, however, these variations have their limits.• The sharp medical edge of her lecture would be blunted towards the end by placing the Black Death in its broader context.• This brings us to consider the broader context of industrial conflict.• This is isolation and, in the broader context, the notion of what it means to be an island.• General evolution takes place when the broader context itself changes, a process that is both unintentional and willed.• The Tsar's support for emancipation must be understood within the broader context of the State's role in a serf-based society.Origin context (1400-1500) Latin contextus “connection of words”, from contexere “to weave together”, from com- ( → COM-) + texere “to weave” 