on-screen

adverb or adjective

ˈȯn-ˈskrēn 

ˈän-

variants or onscreen

1

: in a movie 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 project marks Smollett’s first on-screen discussion of the incident since his 2019 Good Morning America interview with Robin Roberts. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025

After his original Agent 13 gig, Ketchum landed a job writing for Hey, Landlord, a series co-created by Garry Marshall in which Ketchum had small on-screen roles. —Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 22 Aug. 2025

Naturally, the theft of the ghost shirt by the stooges in the employ of Roy Lee is accompanied by many deceased bodies — the first of the many bloodbaths in Americana, which has a distressingly expedient approach to on-screen carnage. —Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2025

Star and executive producer Angela Bassett was recently asked about the possibility of her on-screen husband, played by Peter Krause, returning to the hit series. —Rachel McRady, People.com, 22 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for on-screen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between