backdrop
Americannoun
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backdrops
plural
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especially British, back-cloth. Theater. the rear curtain of a stage setting.
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the background of an event; setting.
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Gymnastics. a maneuver in which a trampolinist jumps in the air, lands on the back with the arms and legs pointed upward, and then springs up to a standing position.
verb (used with object)
noun
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another name for backcloth
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the background to any scene or situation
Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of backdrop
Explanation
A backdrop is the scenery that hangs behind the actors in a play. You might help to paint the backdrop for your school's production of "The Sound of Music." The backdrop is an important part of a theater production, since it provides a setting for a play or sets a mood for a musical performance. If you're watching a local version of "Oliver!" the backdrop might be designed to look like a London street scene, for example. The noun backdrop comes from US theater slang, from a combination of back and drop around 1913.
Vocabulary lists containing backdrop
Drama
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Awkward
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Theater - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
One of the most illuminating portions of the book deals with the backdrop to Anderson’s 1955 Metropolitan Opera debut, as Ulrica in Verdi’s “A Masked Ball.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
“However, the complicated macro backdrop and higher rates will almost certainly cause multiples to continue to compress,” Jane Gibbons, equity strategist at Jefferies, wrote in a Wednesday note.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Chancellor John Healey is due to set out his Budget on 28 October against a backdrop of rising inflation and global energy prices.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Against that backdrop, the central bank remains cautious on inflation pressures broadening beyond just energy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026
It was made from two flat bedsheets sewn together, and would be their backdrop.
From "George" by Alex Gino
The London gathering is taking place against one of the most bullish market backdrops in years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
The ground is situated in the city's downtown and once you are inside it, it has one of the best backdrops I've experienced in football.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
That difference shows up clearly when comparing the pre-inflation backdrops.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
The backdrops are always drab; concrete floors and metal doors.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
To add to the confusion, there were all the new properties and painted backdrops our hired men had constructed.
From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood
“It’s the corner of the business with momentum tailwinds, backdropped by AI’s insatiable appetite for energy.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2025
In the video, she stood on the course, backdropped by a boulder and dense fog, and said the ski area needed three things to happen for the race to be run as planned.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 3, 2024
He usually retained the sinister qualities from Yang’s images — sometimes backdropped by a nuclear explosion or a horde of zombies.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 26, 2023
Phil Manzanera, the 71-year-old guitarist for art-rock pioneers Roxy Music, is leaning into a computer camera backdropped by a nondescript hotel room.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2022
Jam looked at her reflection, backdropped by the creature, then wiped her hands over her face.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Frank tapped L.A. painter Jessalyn Brooks to paint a colorful mural on the cinderblock wall backdropping the pool.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2024
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
