blue screen

noun

plural blue screens
1
: a photographic technique in which a subject is filmed in front of a blue background so as to allow matte (see matte entry 3 sense 2) compositing of the film with other footage
also : the blue background compare green screen
2
: blue screen of death
Many blue screens are caused by bad memory modules or corrupted disk drives.George Cox

Examples of blue screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With that shell to live in, the all-stage series filmed on immersive practical sets, accentuated by blue screen VFX. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 19 Nov. 2023 The blackout began late Aug. 31 with a blue screen replacing some of the nation’s most popular programming. Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023 Several weeks prior to shooting, blue screen walls were slowly introduced into the giraffe enclosure to acclimate them. Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2023 Related The first photo shows Bailey filming a scene with Flounder in front of blue screens and robotic arms. Starr Bowenbank, Billboard, 26 May 2023 Could ten minutes matter—heck, round up to an hour— With that glowing blue screen of unusual power? Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 1 Apr. 2023 The 360-degree cameras that malfunction display a blue screen that affects the driver's ability to see. Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, 31 Jan. 2023 Their 360-degree rearview cameras may malfunction and display a blue screen that impacts the ability of a driver to see behind them. Rob Wile, NBC News, 27 Jan. 2023 According to the recall report, the problem can happen intermittently and cause a blank blue screen. Laura Sky Brown, Car and Driver, 27 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'blue 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

1965, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of blue screen was in 1965

Dictionary Entries Near blue screen

Cite this Entry

“Blue screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blue%20screen. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.

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