background | (noun) scenery hung at back of stage | Synonyms: backcloth, backdrop |
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(noun) (computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear | Synonyms: desktop, screen background |
(noun) a person's social heritage: previous experience or training | - |
(noun) the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground | Synonyms: ground |
(noun) information that is essential to understanding a situation or problem | Synonyms: background knowledge |
(noun) extraneous signals that can be confused with the phenomenon to be observed or measured | Synonyms: background signal |
(noun) relatively unimportant or inconspicuous accompanying situation | - |
(noun) the state of the environment in which a situation exists | Synonyms: scope, setting |
backgrounder | (noun) a press conference or interview in which a government official explains to reporters the background of an action or policy | - |
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backgrounding | (noun) the execution of low priority programs while higher priority programs are not using the processing system | Synonyms: background processing |
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battleground | (noun) a region where a battle is being (or has been) fought | Synonyms: battlefield, field, field of battle, field of honor |
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bedground | (noun) an area on which a drove of cattle or sheep can sleep for a night | Synonyms: bed-ground, bed ground |
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campground | (noun) a site where people on holiday can pitch a tent | Synonyms: bivouac, camping area, camping ground, camping site, campsite, encampment |
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fairground | (noun) an open area for holding fairs or exhibitions or circuses | - |
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foreground | (noun) (computer science) a window for an active application | - |
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(noun) the part of a scene that is near the viewer | - |
foregrounding | (noun) the execution of a program that preempts the use of the processing system | Synonyms: foreground processing |
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ground | (noun) the first or preliminary coat of paint or size applied to a surface | Synonyms: flat coat, primer, primer coat, priming, priming coat, undercoat |
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(noun) (art) the surface (as a wall or canvas) prepared to take the paint for a painting | - |
(noun) a connection between an electrical device and a large conducting body, such as the earth (which is taken to be at zero voltage) | Synonyms: earth |
(noun) the part of a scene (or picture) that lies behind objects in the foreground | Synonyms: background |
(noun) a relatively homogeneous percept extending back of the figure on which attention is focused | - |
(noun) a position to be won or defended in battle (or as if in battle) | - |
(noun) a rational motive for a belief or action | Synonyms: occasion, reason |
(noun) the solid part of the earth's surface | Synonyms: dry land, earth, land, solid ground, terra firma |
(noun) material in the top layer of the surface of the earth in which plants can grow (especially with reference to its quality or use) | Synonyms: land, soil |
(noun) a relation that provides the foundation for something | Synonyms: basis, footing |
(noun) the loose soft material that makes up a large part of the land surface | Synonyms: earth |
groundball | (noun) (baseball) a hit that travels along the ground | Synonyms: ground ball, grounder, hopper |
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groundberry | (noun) creeping shrub of eastern North America having white bell-shaped flowers followed by spicy red berrylike fruit and shiny aromatic leaves that yield wintergreen oil | Synonyms: checkerberry, creeping wintergreen, Gaultheria procumbens, ground-berry, mountain tea, teaberry, wintergreen |
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(noun) small prostrate or ascending shrub having scarlet flowers and succulent fruit resembling cranberries; sometimes placed in genus Styphelia | Synonyms: Astroloma humifusum, cranberry heath, ground-berry, native cranberry, Styphelia humifusum |
groundbreaker | (noun) someone who helps to open up a new line of research or technology or art | Synonyms: innovator, pioneer, trailblazer |
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groundbreaking | (noun) the ceremonial breaking of the ground to formally begin a construction project | Synonyms: groundbreaking ceremony |
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groundcover | (noun) small plants other than saplings growing on a forest floor | Synonyms: ground cover |
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(noun) low-growing plants planted in deep shade or on a steep slope where turf is difficult to grow | Synonyms: ground cover |
grounder | (noun) (baseball) a hit that travels along the ground | Synonyms: ground ball, groundball, hopper |
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groundfish | (noun) fish that live on the sea bottom (particularly the commercially important gadoid fish like cod and haddock, or flatfish like flounder) | Synonyms: bottom fish |
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groundhog | (noun) reddish brown North American marmot | Synonyms: Marmota monax, woodchuck |
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grounding | (noun) fastening electrical equipment to earth | Synonyms: earthing |
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(noun) education or instruction in the fundamentals of a field of knowledge | Synonyms: foundation |
groundkeeper | (noun) someone who maintains the grounds (of an estate or park or athletic field) | Synonyms: groundskeeper, groundsman |
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groundlessness | (noun) the quality of lacking substance or value | Synonyms: idleness |
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groundling | (noun) in Elizabethan theater: a playgoer in the cheap standing section | - |
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groundmass | (noun) (geology) the matrix of fine-grained crystalline material in which larger crystals are embedded | - |
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groundnut | (noun) nutlike tuber; important food of Native Americans | Synonyms: potato bean, wild bean |
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(noun) pod of the peanut vine containing usually 2 nuts or seeds; `groundnut' and `monkey nut' are British terms | Synonyms: earthnut, goober, goober pea, monkey nut, peanut |
(noun) a North American vine with fragrant blossoms and edible tubers; important food crop of Native Americans | Synonyms: Apios americana, Apios tuberosa, groundnut vine, Indian potato, potato bean, wild bean |
grounds | (noun) the enclosed land around a house or other building | Synonyms: curtilage, yard |
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(noun) your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief | Synonyms: evidence |
(noun) a justification for something existing or happening | Synonyms: cause, reason |
(noun) a tract of land cleared for some special purposes (recreation or burial etc.) | - |
(noun) dregs consisting of solid particles (especially of coffee) that form a residue | - |
groundsel | (noun) Eurasian weed with heads of small yellow flowers | Synonyms: Senecio vulgaris |
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groundsheet | (noun) a waterproofed piece of cloth spread on the ground (as under a tent) to protect from moisture | Synonyms: ground cloth |
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groundskeeper | (noun) someone who maintains the grounds (of an estate or park or athletic field) | Synonyms: groundkeeper, groundsman |
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groundsman | (noun) someone who maintains the grounds (of an estate or park or athletic field) | Synonyms: groundkeeper, groundskeeper |
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groundspeed | (noun) the speed of an aircraft relative to the ground | - |
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groundwork | (noun) preliminary preparation as a basis or foundation | - |
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(noun) lowest support of a structure | Synonyms: base, foot, foundation, fundament, substructure, understructure |
(noun) the fundamental assumptions from which something is begun or developed or calculated or explained | Synonyms: base, basis, cornerstone, foundation, fundament |
playground | (noun) yard consisting of an outdoor area for children's play | - |
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(noun) an area where many people go for recreation, holidays or other purposes | Synonyms: resort area, vacation spot |
round | (noun) (often plural) a series of professional calls (usually in a set order) | - |
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(noun) the usual activities in your day | Synonyms: daily round |
(noun) the activity of playing 18 holes of golf | Synonyms: round of golf |
(noun) any circular or rotating mechanism | Synonyms: circle |
(noun) a charge of ammunition for a single shot | Synonyms: one shot, unit of ammunition |
(noun) a crosspiece between the legs of a chair | Synonyms: rung, stave |
(noun) a partsong in which voices follow each other; one voice starts and others join in one after another until all are singing different parts of the song at the same time | Synonyms: troll |
(noun) an outburst of applause | - |
(noun) a cut of beef between the rump and the lower leg | - |
(noun) a serving to each of a group (usually alcoholic) | Synonyms: round of drinks |
(noun) a regular route for a sentry or policeman | Synonyms: beat |
(noun) the course along which communications spread | - |
(noun) (sports) a division of a game during which one team is on the offensive | Synonyms: bout, turn |
(noun) an interval during which a recurring sequence of events occurs | Synonyms: cycle, rhythm |
roundabout | (noun) a road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island | Synonyms: circle, rotary, traffic circle |
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(noun) a large, rotating machine with seats for children to ride on for amusement | Synonyms: carousel, carrousel, merry-go-round, whirligig |
roundedness | (noun) the property possessed by a rounded convexity | Synonyms: bulginess |
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roundel | (noun) round piece of armor plate that protects the armpit | - |
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(noun) (heraldry) a charge in the shape of a filled circle | - |
(noun) English form of rondeau having three triplets with a refrain after the first and third | - |
roundelay | (noun) a song in which a line or phrase is repeated as the refrain | - |
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rounder | (noun) a tool for rounding corners or edges | - |
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(noun) a dissolute person; usually a man who is morally unrestrained | Synonyms: debauchee, libertine |
rounders | (noun) an English ball game similar to baseball | - |
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roundhead | (noun) a brachycephalic person | - |
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roundhouse | (noun) a hook delivered with an exaggerated swing | - |
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(noun) workplace consisting of a circular building for repairing locomotives | - |
rounding | (noun) (mathematics) a miscalculation that results from rounding off numbers to a convenient number of decimals | Synonyms: rounding error |
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roundness | (noun) the property possessed by a line or surface that is curved and not angular | - |
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(noun) the bodily property of being well rounded | Synonyms: embonpoint, plumpness |
(noun) the quality of being round numbers | - |
(noun) the fullness of a tone of voice | Synonyms: rotundity |
roundsman | (noun) a workman employed to make rounds (to deliver goods or make inspections or so on) | - |
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roundtable | (noun) a meeting of peers for discussion and exchange of views | Synonyms: round-table conference, round table |
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roundup | (noun) the systematic gathering up of suspects by the police | - |
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(noun) the activity of gathering livestock together so that they can be counted or branded or sold | - |
(noun) a summary list; as in e.g. "a news roundup" | - |
roundworm | (noun) unsegmented worms with elongated rounded body pointed at both ends; mostly free-living but some are parasitic | Synonyms: nematode, nematode worm |
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(noun) infections of the skin or nails caused by fungi and appearing as itching circular patches | Synonyms: ringworm, tinea |
scrounger | (noun) someone who mooches or cadges (tries to get something free) | Synonyms: cadger, mooch, moocher |
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surround | (noun) the area in which something exists or lives | Synonyms: environment, environs, surroundings |
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surroundings | (noun) the area in which something exists or lives | Synonyms: environment, environs, surround |
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(noun) the environmental condition | Synonyms: milieu |
trouncing | (noun) the act of inflicting corporal punishment with repeated blows | Synonyms: beating, drubbing, lacing, licking, thrashing, whacking |
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(noun) a sound defeat | Synonyms: debacle, drubbing, slaughter, thrashing, walloping, whipping |
turnaround | (noun) turning in the opposite direction | Synonyms: reversal, reverse, reversion, turnabout |
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(noun) act or process of unloading and loading and servicing a vessel or aircraft for a return trip | Synonyms: turnround |
(noun) an area sufficiently large for a vehicle to turn around | - |
(noun) a decision to reverse an earlier decision | Synonyms: change of mind, flip-flop, reversal, turnabout |
(noun) time need to prepare a vessel or ship for a return trip | Synonyms: turnaround time |
turnround | (noun) act or process of unloading and loading and servicing a vessel or aircraft for a return trip | Synonyms: turnaround |
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underground | (noun) an electric railway operating below the surface of the ground (usually in a city) | Synonyms: metro, subway, subway system, tube |
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(noun) a secret group organized to overthrow a government or occupation force | Synonyms: resistance |
wraparound | (noun) a garment (as a dress or coat) with a full length opening; adjusts to the body by wrapping around | - |
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