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

There’s a little search icon on the bottom of the screen, but the best way is to swipe down from the middle of the home screen to get a large search box. —Larry Magid, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025

As Gizmodo notes, the icons on the home screen now look tilted. —PC Magazine, 17 Sep. 2025

Liquid Glass activates fluid elements, such as, keeping home screen apps as normal or change them to appear translucent, showing off the background image. —Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025

What To Know The Liquid Glass interface not only updates the home screen but transforms interactions within apps like Music, where users can now swipe between views instead of tapping. —Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Sep. 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