on-screen

adverb or adjective

ˈȯn-ˈskrēn 

ˈän-

variants or onscreen

1

: in a movie or a television program

But the makers of the 1958 movie understood that this most subtle of writers was telling a tale about the froth of life, and they celebrated it on-screen with gusto.

—Gerald Asher

The sixth-grader reportedly earned $1 million for starring in the upcoming My Girl, which pairs him with Anna Chlumsky for his first onscreen kiss.

—Alexander Tresniowski

2

: on a computer or television screen

You can watch a football game, see a small icon onscreen offering player statistics, click it with the remote, and view the stats.

—Edward W. Desmond

… handheld joysticks and gamepads that jolt and jar with the on-screen action.

—Leigh Gallagher

Examples of on-screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The My So Called Life alum attended the premiere of Lewis' British espionage thriller series A Spy Among Friends in 2023 to support her old on-screen flame. —Jillian Sederholm, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Feb. 2026

Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale warned admirers to never meet your heroes, calling himself a disappointment compared to his on-screen characters. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 27 Feb. 2026

Two Dereks, two perspectives, two ethical outlooks, and even perhaps two Englands, situated side by side, yet at odds, whose (on-screen) coexistence proves to be quite a delight! —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 25 Feb. 2026

Celeste’s version of the tour is harshly minimalistic, all black-and-white strobe lights and profane on-screen text. —Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 24 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for on-screen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between