home screen

noun

1

: television sense 2

… it's the kind of movie that plays better on the home screen, where you're less likely to miss any of the fiendishly witty lines of the screenplay … and can replay some of the stunning special effects.

—Molly Haskell

TV viewers soon may be seeing some of their black-and-white film favorites blushing with new color on the home screen.

—Ron Miller

2

: the graphical user interface that is displayed by default by an electronic device (such as a smartphone or computer) or software application and that provides quick access to commonly used functions, settings, etc.

[Journalist Catherine] Price's suggestions range from the extreme, such as a "digital sabbath" during which you turn your phone off for 24 hours, to the seemingly slight, such as reorganising your phone's home screen so you can't see the bright, tempting colours of your favourite apps the second you turn it on.

—Caroline Crampton

The Netflix interface—the home screen that greets users when they open the app—is constantly evolving.

—James Titcomb

Examples of home screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This includes a customizable home screen that can display time, temperature, weather, humidity, outdoor air quality, and more (versus a static screen), and energy-saving implementations that can either run automatically or require you to opt-in through the Google Home app. —Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Oct. 2025

All of these messages crowd home screens alongside breaking news, advertisements, social-media likes, and push alerts. —Julie Beck, The Atlantic, 16 Oct. 2025

Other improvements include a Mac-like menu bar at the top of the screen when working inside apps and the ability to place folders directly in the home screen dock. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 15 Oct. 2025

The home screen uses big tiles that anyone can navigate, so family and visitors find Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video, and YouTube without guidance. —PC Magazine, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1948, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for home screen

• acrolein
• adenine
• alkylene
• aniline
• anthracene
• aquiline
• asphaltene
• atlantean
• atrazine
• butadiene
• butylene
• caesarean

Kids Definition

home screen

noun

1

: television

2

: the graphical user interface that is displayed by default by an electronic device (as a smartphone or computer) or software application and that provides quick access to commonly used functions and settings