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

Her final on-screen appearance was in the 1998 film Permanent Record, which starred Meyrink alongside Pamela Gidley, Jennifer Rubin and Keanu Reeves. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

The attention to detail extended even to Obama’s on-screen aide, played by his real-life Director of Oval Office Operations Brian Mosteller. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026

Open your preferred app and add your device by following the on-screen instructions. — Harry Bennett, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2026

This is a scenario that plays out in countless real-life families, not just on-screen. — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 6 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for on-screen

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