off-screen

adverb or adjective

variants or offscreen
1
: out of sight of the movie 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
2
: in private life : when not appearing in a movie, on television, etc.
Moyer's off-screen magnetism comes from a down-to-earth friendliness.Kate Hahn
Pfeiffer, 34, remains a mystery woman offscreen.Michael A. Lipton

Examples of off-screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From on-screen couples who have taken their love off-screen to long-term relationships, here's everything to know about the real-life partners of the Tell Me Lies cast. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026 About 30 players from the Houston Dynamo Academy will be featured in the movie, aided off-screen by their actual coaches. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 Jan. 2026 Rozanov is known for his cold and competitive exterior, which couldn't be farther from Storrie off-screen – soft and charismatic. Greta Cross, USA Today, 14 Jan. 2026 Taylor is learning a lot from this whirlwind year about the craft of acting onscreen and the performances that a press tour necessitates off-screen. Lindsey Underwood, Vanity Fair, 13 Jan. 2026 The two became friendly off-screen as well, with Thapthimthong attending Lisa's Coachella set in April. Hannah Malach, InStyle, 12 Jan. 2026 There’s a lot of deus ex machina resolution of tight binds, things that happen off-screen and are waved away. Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026 Sadly, West was killed by La Fiera’s men off-screen between seasons 3 and 4. Tanya Melendez, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Jan. 2026 So video games can be useful to the development of children, but only when accompanied by other off-screen activities. Taylor Grothe, Parents, 1 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-screen was in 1916

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Cite this Entry

“Off-screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-screen. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.

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