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backstage

noun · adjective · adverb

Simple meaning

A stage area out of sight of the audience.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

bakstayj

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈbæksˈteɪdʒ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. A stage area out of sight of the audience

  2. The private portion of the space used by a business or enterprise.

adjective

  1. Relating to, or situated in the area behind a stage.

  2. Secret, concealed from the public.

adverb

  1. Towards the area behind the stage.

  2. Out of view of the public; behind the scenes

    “Working backstage to gain political support for his proposal.”

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
B2 · Upper Intermediate (estimated)
Frequency
Moderately Common
Formality
Technical

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A stage area out of sight of the audience

Used this way, backstage is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use backstage

  • “The band met their fans backstage after the amazing concert.”noun

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

backstage passbackstage areacome backstage

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

noun

Sense: stage area out of sight of the audience

wing

adjective

Sense: relating to

offstage

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.