Screen — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈskrēn/

Meaning & Definition of Screen

Screen (noun)

  1. a protective or ornamental device (such as a movable partition) shielding an area from heat or drafts or from view
  2. something that shelters, protects, or hides
  3. a growth or stand of trees, shrubs, or plants

Screen (verb)

  1. to guard from injury or danger
  2. to give shelter or protection to with or as if with a screen
  3. to separate with or as if with a screen; also, to shield (an opponent) from a play or from view of a play

Screen (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. the art or business of making a movie

    "he was a star of both stage and screen"

    similar: big screen, cinema, film, filmdom, filmland, filmmaking, movie, moviemaking, pictures, silver screen
    related: Bollywood, Hollywood, showbiz, show business

  2. means or method of defending

    "the target will be difficult to reach as it is behind a screen of anti-aircraft batteries"

    similar: aegis, ammunition, armor, buckler, cover, defense, guard, protection, safeguard, security, shield, wall, ward
    related: arm, armament, munitions, weapon, weaponry, fastness, fort, fortress, palisade, stronghold
    near: aggression, assault, attack, offense, offensive

Screen (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to drive danger or attack away from

    "attack helicopters were called in to help screen the troops from further attacks"

    similar: bulwark, cover, defend, fence, fend, forfend, guard, keep, protect, safeguard, secure, shield, ward, stand up for
    related: avert, prevent, oppose, resist, withstand, battle, contend, fight, war, conserve, preserve, save, buffer, palisade, picket, wall
    opposite: assail, assault, attack
    near: bombard, storm, beset, besiege, overrun, capitulate, cave, submit, yield

  2. to keep secret or shut off from view

    "bushes screened the swimming pool from passersby on the street"

    similar: belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, cover, curtain, disguise, enshroud, hide, mask, obscure, occult, paper over, shroud, suppress, veil
    related: bury, camouflage, cover (up), smother, gild, gloss (over), varnish, whitewash, becloud, bedim, befog, block, cloud, darken, eclipse, obstruct, occlude, overcast, overshadow, shade
    opposite: bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil
    near: bring out, present, clarify, illuminate, advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread

  3. to pass through a filter

    "you should screen the cooking oil to remove impurities"

    similar: filter, strain
    related: leach, percolate

  4. to place a protective layer over

    "screened his eyes with his hand to block the sun"

    similar: cover, shield
    related: cloak, clothe, veil, drape, pall, canopy, cap, crown, disguise, mask, obscure
    near: bare, expose, uncover

Related Entry: Screen (off) (verb)

Screen (off) is a different word from Screen. The synonyms below are for screen (off), not for screen.

  1. as in curtain (off)

    similar: curtain (off), bar, barricade, block (off), blockade, close (off), guard, wall (off), dike, fence, gate, hedge, bolt, lock, obstruct
    opposite: open, unbar, reopen, unblock, unbolt

Related Entry: Big screen (noun)

Big screen is a different word from Screen. The synonyms below are for big screen, not for screen.

  1. the art or business of making a movie

    "many actors now take roles for both television and the big screen"

    similar: cinema, film, filmdom, filmland, filmmaking, movie, moviemaking, pictures, screen, silver screen
    related: Bollywood, Hollywood, showbiz, show business

Related Entry: Silver screen (noun)

Silver screen is a different word from Screen. The synonyms below are for silver screen, not for screen.

  1. the art or business of making a movie

    "a list of the top 100 stars of the silver screen"

    similar: big screen, cinema, film, filmdom, filmland, filmmaking, movie, moviemaking, pictures, screen
    related: Bollywood, Hollywood, showbiz, show business

Related Entry: Smoke screen (noun)

Smoke screen is a different word from Screen. The synonyms below are for smoke screen, not for screen.

  1. as in front, blind

    similar: blind, front, fraud, gaff, hoax, sham, swindle, cheating, chicanery, cozenage, craft, crookery, cunning, deception, dupery, duplicity, fakery, jugglery, legerdemain, skulduggery, subterfuge, swindling, trickery, bluff, end run, feint, artifice, device, dodge, fetch, flimflam, gambit, gimmick, jig, juggle, knack, play, ploy, ruse, scheme, shenanigan, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Screen

The most common words with a similar meaning to Screen:

big screen, cinema, film, filmdom, filmland, filmmaking, movie, moviemaking, pictures, silver screen, aegis, ammunition, armor, buckler, cover, defense, guard, protection, safeguard, security, shield, wall, ward, bulwark, defend, fence, fend, forfend, keep, protect, secure, belie, blanket, blot out, cloak, conceal, curtain, disguise, enshroud, hide

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Screen

Words with the opposite meaning of Screen:

assail, assault, attack, bare, disclose, display, divulge, expose, reveal, show, uncloak, uncover, unmask, unveil

Related Words for Screen

Bollywood, Hollywood, showbiz, show business, arm, armament, munitions, weapon, weaponry, fastness, fort, fortress, palisade, stronghold, avert, prevent, oppose, resist, withstand, battle, contend, fight, war, conserve, preserve, save, buffer, picket, bury, camouflage

Near Antonyms of Screen

aggression, offense, offensive, bombard, storm, beset, besiege, overrun, capitulate, cave, submit, yield, bring out, present, clarify, illuminate, advertise, air, broadcast, get out, proclaim, publicize, publish, spread

Word Forms of Screen

Inflections: screened, screening, screens

Derived words: screenable (adjective), screener (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Screen

Middle English screne, from Anglo-French escren, from Middle Dutch scherm; akin to Old High German skirm shield; probably akin to Sanskrit carman skin, kṛnāti he injures shear

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Screen

Words & Phrases Containing Screen

screen memory, screen pass, screen saver, screen test, screen time, screen one's (telephone/phone) calls, screen out, screen presence

Frequently Asked Questions about Screen

What does "Screen" mean?

"Screen" means a protective or ornamental device (such as a movable partition) shielding an area from heat or drafts or from view. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a protective or ornamental device (such as a movable partition) shielding an area from heat or drafts or from view. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Screen"?

Other words for "Screen" include big screen, cinema, film, filmdom, filmland, filmmaking, movie and moviemaking. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Screen" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Screen"?

There are 106 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Screen". Common alternatives include big screen, cinema, film, filmdom, filmland, filmmaking, movie, moviemaking, pictures and silver screen.

What is the opposite of "Screen"?

Antonyms of "Screen" include assail, assault, attack, bare, disclose, display, divulge and expose. Near antonyms include aggression, offense, offensive and bombard.

How do you use "Screen" in a sentence?

Examples of "Screen" in a sentence: "he was a star of both stage and screen"; "the target will be difficult to reach as it is behind a screen of anti-aircraft batteries"; "attack helicopters were called in to help screen the troops from further attacks".

Is "Screen" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Screen" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Screen" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Screen" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Screen"?

"Screen" is pronounced /ˈskrēn/.