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
Even off-screen, Wendt leaned into his persona from the beloved show.
—Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
In addition to her off-screen role in the NBC show, Birkett appeared in several other movies and shows, including 1985's St. Elmo's Fire, 2001's Heartbreakers and 2005's The Life Coach, per IMDb.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 20 May 2025
Though Hunt Wynorski’s (Nick Zano) actual death happens off-screen, his pained panic at being trapped underwater by the suction pull of a public pool’s drain is an agonizing sequence, culminating in the gnarly visual of a blood-and-guts fountain.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Finneas is a lovestruck actor playing an astronaut on the big screen, while haplessly in love with his director off-screen.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
From then on the house dressed Schneider on- and off-screen.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 13 May 2025
This time, the star would never step off-screen, all while navigating the joyful chaos of a film set that cherished imperfection.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 12 May 2025
Meanwhile, the unmistakable sounds of a dog howling and barking echo loudly off-screen.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Before the release of the Disney+ reboot, rumors spread of a first draft of the series that saw the deaths of Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page happen off-screen.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 7 May 2025
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.
Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 20 May 2025
In addition to her off-screen role in the NBC show, Birkett appeared in several other movies and shows, including 1985's St. Elmo's Fire, 2001's Heartbreakers and 2005's The Life Coach, per IMDb.
—Jordana Comiter, People.com, 20 May 2025
Though Hunt Wynorski’s (Nick Zano) actual death happens off-screen, his pained panic at being trapped underwater by the suction pull of a public pool’s drain is an agonizing sequence, culminating in the gnarly visual of a blood-and-guts fountain.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 16 May 2025
Finneas is a lovestruck actor playing an astronaut on the big screen, while haplessly in love with his director off-screen.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2025
From then on the house dressed Schneider on- and off-screen.
—Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 13 May 2025
This time, the star would never step off-screen, all while navigating the joyful chaos of a film set that cherished imperfection.
—Ben Croll, Variety, 12 May 2025
Meanwhile, the unmistakable sounds of a dog howling and barking echo loudly off-screen.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 May 2025
Before the release of the Disney+ reboot, rumors spread of a first draft of the series that saw the deaths of Elden Henson’s Foggy Nelson and Deborah Ann Woll’s Karen Page happen off-screen.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 7 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Off-screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-screen. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share