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
2
: 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
Pfeiffer, 34, remains a mystery woman offscreen.Michael A. Lipton

Examples of off-screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The actors reportedly became close friends off-screen, which translated into the effortless banter and playful pranks on-screen. Marc Berman, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 Under Capri’s ownership, Colman and Choi have worked closely to build momentum at Jimmy Choo, dressing celebrities on- and off-screen; adding variety to the footwear mix, and building up the handbag category, which now accounts for a large part of sales. Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2025 The footage captures multiple moments of the feline appearing and reappearing over several hours, walking with purpose before disappearing off-screen and eventually returning. Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025 While relationships on-screen usually didn't last, cast members found love off-screen, some even with fellow True Blood stars. Jane Lacroix, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025 That chapter ended in January 2020, with Ziva departing for an off-screen reunion with Tony and Tali in Paris − a brief TV family happy ending. Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025 Known for its reliability and resilience, Canada Goose has supported on- and off-screen roles in some of the planet’s most extreme locations, empowering exploration of all kinds, both behind the scenes and front of the lens. Steven Huizar, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025 The coming-of-age drama does a great job at capturing the messiness of young love, but off-screen, several of the cast members are in happy, long-term relationships. Kelsey Lentz, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025 As images reach us in fragments, sound weaves a continuity from off-screen to on-screen, carrying the emotion through the film and irrigating the streams of images, like water flowing. Cátia Rodrigues, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of off-screen was in 1916

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Cite this Entry

“Off-screen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/off-screen. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.

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