screen saver

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noun Computers.

a program that displays a constantly shifting pattern on a screen when the computer is idle, originally used to prevent damage to the screen through continuous display of the same image but now used primarily for decoration.

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Also screen·sav·er

[skreen-sey-ver] /ˈskrinˌseɪ vər/

Words nearby screen saver

screenplay, screen-print, screen-printing, screen process, screen reader, screen saver, screenshort, screenshot, screen test, screen time, screen trading

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use screen saver in a sentence

“I regard my videos as a sort of moving screen saver, just something in the background as opposed to something requiring 100 percent concentration,” Hitchcock wrote.
Lose yourself in the hypnotic allure of YouTube’s ‘cab ride’ train-travel videos|Mark Jenkins|April 1, 2021|Washington Post
The garrulous assistant to a fading screen siren in Clouds of Sils Maria.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
“JSwipe is currently under heavy load,” flashed across the screen, one night as a friend and I looked at it.
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A sad-faced orange Star of David flashed across the iPhone screen as we swiped left on “James” (not his real name).
My Week on Jewish Tinder|Emily Shire|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Her name was Courtney, and she was a fashion editor for magazines like Photoplay, Screenland, Silver Screen.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A more rugged version of American masculinity is hard to find on screen.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Among the Perpendicular additions to the church last named may be noted a very beautiful oaken rood-screen.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 4|Various
The fire had been heaped over with earth—to screen it from prying eyes, I suppose, while the good work went on.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Now, he chose a small table in a corner of the balcony, close to the glass screen.
Rosemary in Search of a Father|C. N. Williamson
According to a weekly paper not only is Constance Binney a famous screen star, but she is also a first-class ukelele player.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 158, April 28, 1920|Various
It was ten minutes before she raised her hand and pointed to a wilted but still effective screen.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton

British Dictionary definitions for screen saver

screensaver

/ (ˈskriːnseɪvər) /

noun

a computer program that reduces screen damage resulting from an unchanging display when a computer is switched on but not in use by blanking the screen or generating moving patterns, etc

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012