on-screen

adverb or adjective

variants or onscreen
1
: in a motion picture or a television program
But the makers of the 1958 movie understood that this most subtle of writers was telling a tale about the froth of life, and they celebrated it on-screen with gusto.Gerald Asher
The sixth-grader reportedly earned $1 million for starring in the upcoming My Girl, which pairs him with Anna Chlumsky for his first onscreen kiss.Alexander Tresniowski
2
: on a computer or television screen
You can watch a football game, see a small icon onscreen offering player statistics, click it with the remote, and view the stats.Edward W. Desmond
… handheld joysticks and gamepads that jolt and jar with the on-screen action.Leigh Gallagher

Examples of on-screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The scene where the vehicle makes its on-screen debut in Christopher Nolan’s first Dark Knight trilogy film, Batman Begins, is downright exhilarating and not just because of Hans Zimmer’s score. Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 16 Apr. 2024 Lindsay Lohan celebrated her on-screen dad Dennis Quaid on his birthday! Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024 Your off-screen life has to be just as interesting as your on-screen performances. Amanda Luberto, The Arizona Republic, 12 Apr. 2024 Joker's initial on-screen love interest, Sophie Dumond, is set to appear in Folie à Deux, with Zazie Beetz reprising the role after her character's arc came to an ambiguous end in the first film. EW.com, 10 Apr. 2024 The idea was apparently never a serious consideration for Fleming, who ultimately wanted to make Richard Burton the first on-screen James Bond. Zack Sharf, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024 Your words would fill a document on-screen without your hands having to bear the indignity of actually typing. Caroline Mimbs Nyce, The Atlantic, 8 Apr. 2024 Bow was the first on-screen actress to show that women could lead independent lives, said Bow biographer David Stenn. Cathy Free, Washington Post, 6 Apr. 2024 Video on social media showed TV footage of Taiwanese news programming in which on-screen warnings arrived before shaking began, according to Tobin. Evan Bush, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'on-screen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of on-screen was in 1929

Dictionary Entries Near on-screen

Cite this Entry

“On-screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/on-screen. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.

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