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background noise

background noise

11 3.5
Unwanted sounds that make it hard to hear or record something
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : ruido de fondo
  • There were no significant main effects for list or presence of background noise.
  • the presence of background noise
  • reduce background noise
  • background noise level

So it's not as bad, but there's just a lot of background noise that is on campus.

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Examples

  • Even in the store, conversation was tough because the background noise made her hearing worse.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • On this section of the tape, when you clear out background noise, you can hear a female voice.

  • There was some significant background noise at some points in our conversation, but I did my best to cut this out.

  • Second thing that they did was they added a little bit of background noise to these.

  • Everything else is just background noise.

  • Are you able to understand speech in background noise, groups, and restaurants better?

    Academic text (2006)
  • But the mere breathing of so many people created a low background noise in the courtroom.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • Because they met at an off-peak time at the restaurant, there was very little background noise or other distractions.

    Academic text (2012)
  • We were more curious to learn whether CHL would suffer in the presence of background noise typically considered innocuous.

    Academic text (2012)
  • The loud background noise from the street made it difficult to concentrate during the meeting.

Synonyms

noise
vsbackground noise
  • Specialized
172 5.6

Extra sounds or information that hide the main message

is specifically about extraneous sounds during recording, transmission, or perception
background
vsbackground noise
  • Specialized
85 5.7

Unwanted signals or noise that make measurements unclear

focuses on unwanted sounds present during recording or listening rather than general data
noise level
vsbackground noise
  • Specialized
5 3.1

How loud unwanted background sound is

describes the interfering sounds themselves rather than their measured quantity
ground noise
vsbackground noise
  • Specialized
6.5

Unwanted background sound or electrical hiss that hides the true signal

is extraneous sounds that may be present but can sometimes be reduced or removed
background signal
vsbackground noise
  • Specialized
7.5

An unwanted noise from other sources that gets in the way of a measurement

applies to unwanted sounds that affect recording, transmission, or perception specifically

Antonyms

radio signal
  • Specialized
26 2.7

A wave used to send or receive information through the air

How Loud

din
28 3.9
interference
  • Specialized
93 6.6
background noise
  • Specialized
11 3.5
to hiss
31 4.2
atmospherics
  • Jargon
2 6.5
silence
660 2.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

background + noise

The meaning 'extraneous sounds present during recording or perception' is directly and compositionally derived from 'background' (something behind or secondary) + 'noise' (unwanted sound). This noun+noun compound follows a very common, cross-linguistic pattern (e.g. Spanish 'ruido de fondo', French 'bruit de fond'), so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand it.

Etymology

Background noise comes from the image of sounds behind the main sound: background means behind and noise means unwanted sound. Imagine talking while a radio plays in the room; that extra sound sits in the background and can 'get in the way' of what you want to hear, so the phrase now means any extra sound that makes listening or recording harder.