off-screen
adverb or adjective
variants
or offscreen
1
: out of sight of the motion picture or television viewer
a shot fired off-screen
Before long, Anthony introduces himself to the family pooch, who is whooshed away to an off-screen death.—
Kris Turnquist
Kris Turnquist2
: in private life : when not appearing in a motion picture, on television, etc.
Moyer's off-screen magnetism comes from a down-to-earth friendliness.—Kate Hahn
Kate HahnPfeiffer, 34, remains a mystery woman offscreen.—Michael A. Lipton
Michael A. Lipton
Examples of off-screen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In this off-screen role, Coolidge appears in campaigns for the brand, the most recent being a date night sketch where Coolidge fawns over her Dirty Pillows Lip Kit instead of her dinner date (honestly, same).
—Allure, 21 Nov. 2023
Larry David introduced her to Kennedy Hines credits her on-screen husband with introducing her to her off-screen husband.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
But unlike the 20- and 30-somethings of Bachelor history, the women of The Golden Bachelor look toward the next chapter in their own (off-screen) love stories.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 16 Nov. 2023
Fans also flock to podcasts when momentous events in the entertainment space happen off-screen.
—Josh Taylor, Variety, 15 Nov. 2023
Workplace comedies have abounded, melodramas of obscene wealth litter the television landscape, and cop stories thrive in every genre, but rarely do these series choose to foreground the union politics that certainly exist, if off-screen, in their story-worlds.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023
Not military experts, not scientists, but two families obliged to shelter under the same roof out in the East Hamptons while something scary unfolds a few hours away, off-screen, in New York.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
The actress hasn’t been shy about her off-screen relationship with Forman — though the pair haven’t officially confirmed whether there’s more than friendship between them.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
Not dissimilar to the book, the series’s tonal swings never quite settle (there’s also an off-screen suicide and on-screen police brutality).
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2023
See More
Allure, 21 Nov. 2023
Larry David introduced her to Kennedy Hines credits her on-screen husband with introducing her to her off-screen husband.
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 20 Nov. 2023
But unlike the 20- and 30-somethings of Bachelor history, the women of The Golden Bachelor look toward the next chapter in their own (off-screen) love stories.
—Hannah Giorgis, The Atlantic, 16 Nov. 2023
Fans also flock to podcasts when momentous events in the entertainment space happen off-screen.
—Josh Taylor, Variety, 15 Nov. 2023
Workplace comedies have abounded, melodramas of obscene wealth litter the television landscape, and cop stories thrive in every genre, but rarely do these series choose to foreground the union politics that certainly exist, if off-screen, in their story-worlds.
—Phillip MacIak, The New Republic, 1 Nov. 2023
Not military experts, not scientists, but two families obliged to shelter under the same roof out in the East Hamptons while something scary unfolds a few hours away, off-screen, in New York.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
The actress hasn’t been shy about her off-screen relationship with Forman — though the pair haven’t officially confirmed whether there’s more than friendship between them.
—Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 26 Oct. 2023
Not dissimilar to the book, the series’s tonal swings never quite settle (there’s also an off-screen suicide and on-screen police brutality).
—Sophia Nguyen, Washington Post, 21 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'off-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
1916, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Dictionary Entries Near off-screen
Cite this Entry
“Off-screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-screen. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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