screen saver

noun

: a computer program that usually displays various images on the screen of a computer that is on but not in use

Examples of screen saver in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Wooster says that another tip for protecting your OLED investment is to stick to operating systems with features like dark mode and active screen savers. Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 3 Nov. 2023 Apart from that, the broadcast was watchable, like a handsome screen saver, without being interesting in any of the ways the announcer or producers promised. Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2024 Think of dreaming like a computer screen saver that is set to go off every 90 minutes—except that instead of protecting against frozen images, dreams prevent the visual cortex from being usurped by other functions. Roberta McLain, Scientific American, 12 Dec. 2023 In a 2006 dispatch from Lebanon, Robin Wright, then a Washington Post reporter who visited Nasrallah in Beirut, wrote that Nasrallah’s face was displayed there on computer screen savers, posters and keychains. Bryan Pietsch, Washington Post, 3 Nov. 2023 Lewis admitted in one message to having child pornography as his screen saver and attempting to entice a neighbor's child over to his house, according to the affidavit. Tracy Neal, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2023 Spa music played as water flowed on a Buddha screen saver. Jenna Portnoy, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023 The visuals tend to involve 3-D graphics, screen savers, dolphins, dead malls, VHS tapes, corporate training videos, bad graphic design, and Greco-Roman statues. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023 The recognizable screen saver on Roku devices is best known for featuring locations, buildings and characters from beloved films and TV shows (like King Kong scaling the Empire State building, or a fire house that looks suspiciously like the headquarters for the Ghostbusters). Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'screen saver.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of screen saver was in 1981

Dictionary Entries Near screen saver

Cite this Entry

“Screen saver.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/screen%20saver. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

screen saver

noun
: a computer program that usually displays various images on the screen of a computer that is on but not in use
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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