off-screen

adverb or adjective

variants or offscreen
1
: out of sight of the movie or television viewer
a shot fired off-screen
Before long, Anthony introduces himself to the family pooch, who is whooshed away to an off-screen death.Kris Turnquist
2
: in private life : when not appearing in a movie, on television, etc.
Moyer's off-screen magnetism comes from a down-to-earth friendliness.Kate Hahn
Pfeiffer, 34, remains a mystery woman offscreen.Michael A. Lipton

Examples of off-screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
While promoting the film, Anderson garnered even more attention as fans speculated about her off-screen relationship with the comedy's leading man. Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Dec. 2025 There is some political backdrop to the show, with Pompey and Crassus going at each other off-screen and an amusingly narcissistic Julius Caesar (Jackson Gallagher) dropping in to draw attention to himself. Robert Lloyd, Boston Herald, 7 Dec. 2025 Much of the action happens off-screen with the drama of each episode stemming from characters describing all the important things that apparently weren’t worth depicting. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025 But off-screen, the two were also an item. Virginia Chamlee, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025 Dior has a long-standing love affair with Hollywood, dressing many leading ladies on- and off-screen. Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 24 Nov. 2025 Local music artists, barbers and creatives are part of the show, both on- and off-screen. Alexa Stone, Kansas City Star, 21 Nov. 2025 My Word Against Mine unfolds in a therapeutic setting, with a psychiatrist off-screen leading conversations with patients about their voices and, yes, even with the voices. Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 12 Nov. 2025 Kirkland's off-screen pursuits were eclectic. Daniel Arkin, NBC news, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-screen was in 1916

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Cite this Entry

“Off-screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-screen. Accessed 16 Dec. 2025.

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