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

Rising to fame for her role as Buttercup in The Princess Bride, Wright’s on-screen work includes roles in Forrest Gump and House of Cards. —Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 1 Apr. 2025

Before their fictional relationship on-screen, the two had little interaction at work, and Stephanie admitted her initial impression of Triple H was far from favorable. —Nasha Smith, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025

First as the all-American doctor, then as a multifaceted dramatic actor, Chamberlain’s on-screen persona felt unwavering whether in drama series or in his film performances. —Jeetendr Sehdev, Forbes.com, 31 Mar. 2025

Even for people who aren’t exactly into head-thrashing metal, the soundtrack to previous games perfectly married the chaos of the audio to what’s happening on-screen. —Kazuma Hashimoto, Rolling Stone, 31 Mar. 2025

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