green screen

noun

plural green screens

: a photographic technique in which a subject is filmed in front of a green background so as to allow matte (see matte entry 3 sense 2) compositing of the film with other footage

Show curators are using green screen, augmented reality and visual effects to create an illusion of a near-real event.

—Ruhail Amin

also : the green background

The kids recorded themselves at home, shooting videos in front of a home-made green screen, which Mrs. Hopkins sent home for their families.

—Katie Morse

—often used before another noun

green screen technology

compare blue screen

Examples of green screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This was long before the days of mo-cap or green screens, and acting with imaginary scene partners was far from the norm. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 24 June 2026

In fact, the studio does not use green screens at all, so the presenter and pundits can wear green and/or sequins without fear of becoming invisible in the ‘chroma keying’ process. — Matt Slater, New York Times, 12 June 2026

There is a green screen as part of the Fly Like a Bird component. — Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026

Michael and Eddie had a green screen behind them, so somewhere in that second hour, the conversation turns to Prince. — Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 7 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for green screen

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