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Synonyms

screenplay

American  
[skreen-pley] / ˈskrinˌpleɪ /

noun

  1. a motion-picture or television scenario.

  2. Older Use. a motion picture.

screenplay British  
/ ˈskriːnˌpleɪ /

noun

  1. the script for a film, including instructions for sets and camera work

"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

Etymology

Origin of screenplay

First recorded in 1915–20; screen + play

Explanation

Before a movie can be filmed, a writer has to come up with a screenplay, a written script that describes all the action and every line the actors will speak. How entertaining, thrilling, realistic, or fantastic a movie is depends on many variables, one of the most important being the screenplay. A truly great screenplay includes brilliant dialogue that develops the characters and moves the action forward. TV shows and elaborate video games also require screenplays. Some writers adapt books or older movies into new screenplays, while others come up with entirely original stories for their screenplays.

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Vocabulary lists containing screenplay

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The book is flawed by chapter openings in screenplay style, which turn Hepburn’s life into a Grade Z movie.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

Directed by Andy Serkis with a screenplay from Nicholas Stoller, “Animal Farm” reduces Orwell’s already simplistic allegory to a shadow of its former self.

From Salon • May 3, 2026

Gadd was cast as the lead and wrote the screenplay.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

“You, Me & Tuscany” has a screenplay by Ryan Engle, whose previous credits include two Liam Neeson thrillers and a Dwayne Johnson killer-gorilla movie, which would make him a very surprising heir to Nora Ephron.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

“I would,” Nora says, “but I want to work on my screenplay before I do my homework. I came up with a good idea for a scene today. During gym, actually.”

From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.