backdrop

Etymology

From back + drop.

noun

1. A decorated cloth hung at the back of a stage.
2. An image that serves as a visual background.
   The president spoke outside the brick exterior of the firehouse for Ladder Company 10 and Engine Company 10, against the backdrop of a 56-foot-long bronze bas-relief depicting the towers in flames. September 11, 2006, Sheryl Gay Stolberg, “Bush Mourns 9/11 at Ground Zero as N.Y. Remembers”, in New York Times
   Animated, seemingly varied crowd movement will place a game in the early 1990s, while static crowd backdrops and blocky, sprite-based athletes tend to point toward technology used in the 1980s. 2008, Guy W. Lecky-Thompson, Video Game Design Revealed, page 12
3. The setting or background of an acted performance.
   Blackpool’s aggregate victory ensures Birmingham are now preparing for a potential summer of change. Manager Chris Hughton has been operating against a backdrop of financial uncertainty all season and last night Peter Pannu, the vice-chairman, announced that the club’s accounts would finally be published next week, and that a new investor had been identified. May 9, 2012, John Percy, “Birmingham City 2 Blackpool 2 (2-3 on agg): match report”, in the Telegraph
   Specifically on the question of Article 8 considerations, the Court of Appeal expressed the view that it was difficult to see how a chief constable’s decision to disclose [the applicant’s charges to the employer] could ever be challenged (see paragraph 81 above). The Court observes that the case was decided against the backdrop of a clearly-defined legislative framework (i.e., the 1997 Act, which was in force in England and Wales at the time) which the court took to be in compliance with Article 8 (see paragraph 78 above). 13-11-2012, European Court of Human Rights, M. M. v. The United Kingdom, number 24029/07, marginal 171
   All of this heightened hyper-reaction to criticism plays out against a backdrop of dangerous moves by Israel and its supporters in the US to not only defame and politically punish critics and in some instances to go further by making criticism illegal. February 6, 2016, James Zogby, “Israel’s prickliness blocks the long quest for peace”, in The National
4. (figurative) Any background situation.
   Against a backdrop of falling interest rates, the new savings account is looking less appealing.
   Against this backdrop, RDG said it needed to "review historic working practices so that the railway can respond to changing passenger needs and enable future growth". October 20 2021, Philip Haigh, “RDG lauches voluntary redundancy scheme”, in RAIL, number 942, page 9

verb

1. (transitive) To serve as a backdrop for.
   a brilliant sunset backdropping the famous skyline