screen

The word “screen” means a flat surface on a device or in a cinema on which images or text are displayed. In plain terms, a display surface, or to check/test/shield something, or to show a film publicly.

“Screen” is pronounced SKREEN (/ˈskɹiːn/ in IPA).

Here is “screen” used in a sentence: “She stared at her phone screen all evening.”

Depending on how it is used, “screen” can be a noun and a verb.

The word “screen” comes from Old French. From Old French escren, probably borrowed from a Dutch word for a shelter or barrier, ultimately from a Proto-Germanic root meaning covering or protection.

“Screen” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.

“Screen” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a flat surface on a device or in a cinema on which images or text are displayed.

A screen is the flat display surface itself, whether on a phone, television, laptop, or in a cinema. A monitor is a standalone display unit, usually for a computer, that contains a screen plus its casing and electronics. Every monitor has a screen, but not every screen is called a monitor.

Common types include LCD screens, LED-backlit screens, OLED screens, and touchscreens, each differing in how they produce light and colour. Screens also vary by use, from tiny phone displays to large cinema projection screens. The right type depends on size, brightness, energy use, and whether touch input is needed.

Screen size is given as the distance from one corner to the opposite corner, rather than by width or height. This single diagonal figure lets buyers compare displays of different shapes and aspect ratios with one number. A '55-inch' television, for example, measures 55 inches across its diagonal, not its width.

Everyday screens include a smartphone display, a laptop or computer monitor, a television set, a tablet, and the large projection surface in a cinema. Anything with a flat area that shows moving or still images and text qualifies. Modern screens are often touch-sensitive, letting you control the device by tapping.