background music
Americannoun
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music, often recorded, intended to provide a soothing background, usually played over loudspeaker systems in public places, as railway stations or restaurants.
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music composed specifically to accompany and heighten the mood of a visual production, as a movie.
Etymology
Origin of background music
First recorded in 1925–30
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.
Emily Sewell, from event producers Culture Creative Limited, said background music would be used in "limited areas" of the site.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
The tariffs have largely been background music as investors weigh the artificial-intelligence build-out and inflation.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 2026
Not the mellow, easy-listening variety that serves as background music in elevators and waiting rooms.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 16, 2025
This is part of the background music in America: Americans who aren’t unemployed and do have a house are afraid that in the next few years they could lose their job, their security.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025
Or the sound of Rick James, Frankie Beverly, or the Isley Brothers playing as background music in our house.
From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds
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.
