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
Kris Turnquist2
: 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
Kate HahnPfeiffer, 34, remains a mystery woman offscreen.—Michael A. Lipton
Michael A. LiptonExamples of off-screen in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While Peggy won the Final Jam and was destined to become a record-selling superstar, Richards prioritized starting a family off-screen.
—Maya Pow, People.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Patterson doesn’t shy away from those things on-screen in the writing or off-screen while talking about the returning series.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2025
Wesley’s having a lot of fun in this episode goofing on Shatner’s onscreen persona (and, to a lesser degree, his off-screen reputation).
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 July 2025
But the crew’s panic quickly permeates off-screen too.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 July 2025
Nearly 40 years after Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin first tried to avert an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II, his son (Liam Neeson) is heading up the Police Squad, and, according to some critics, might just have the chops to save the world on, and off-screen.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Superman hovering over a battlefield littered with superheroes looking up at something shadowing over them from off-screen.
—Ryan Woodrow, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 July 2025
Critical Role Chief Creative Officer and resident Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer, also appears off-screen as the voice of the interrogating guard.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2025
But Angela Kinsey, who played the no-nonsense accountant Angela Martin in the series, knew a thing or two about balancing the books—on- and off-screen.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 July 2025
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Maya Pow, People.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Patterson doesn’t shy away from those things on-screen in the writing or off-screen while talking about the returning series.
—Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 4 Aug. 2025
Wesley’s having a lot of fun in this episode goofing on Shatner’s onscreen persona (and, to a lesser degree, his off-screen reputation).
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 31 July 2025
But the crew’s panic quickly permeates off-screen too.
—Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 July 2025
Nearly 40 years after Leslie Nielsen’s Frank Drebin first tried to avert an assassination attempt on Queen Elizabeth II, his son (Liam Neeson) is heading up the Police Squad, and, according to some critics, might just have the chops to save the world on, and off-screen.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 30 July 2025
Superman hovering over a battlefield littered with superheroes looking up at something shadowing over them from off-screen.
—Ryan Woodrow, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 July 2025
Critical Role Chief Creative Officer and resident Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer, also appears off-screen as the voice of the interrogating guard.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2025
But Angela Kinsey, who played the no-nonsense accountant Angela Martin in the series, knew a thing or two about balancing the books—on- and off-screen.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Off-screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-screen. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
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