Screening

'skriːnɪŋ

nounBeginner🔥Very CommonArts
3 meanings2 idioms/phrases3 questions

Definitions

3 meanings
1

A showing of a film or broadcast.

'skriːnɪŋ

nounneutralBeginner
Arts

The act of showing a film or broadcast.

The film festival featured several world premiere screenings.

💡 Simply: Imagine you're watching a sneak peek of a new movie before anyone else. That's a screening! It's like a private showing, so you get to be among the first to see it. For example, “We went to a screening of the new superhero movie last night; it was awesome!”,

👶 For kids: A screening is like when they show a movie or TV show on a big screen.

More Examples

2

We attended a private screening of the documentary.

How It's Used

Entertainment

"The movie premiere had a private screening for the cast and crew."

2

The act of examining or testing someone or something to detect a particular condition or substance.

'skriːnɪŋ

nounneutralBeginner
Academic

A process or examination to detect the presence of something.

The hospital offers free health screenings.

💡 Simply: Screening is like checking to see if something's there. For example, if you’re checking if someone has a disease, or checking if a website is a good place to learn English.

👶 For kids: A screening is when doctors check if you are healthy or if a person is good for a job.

More Examples

2

The government implemented airport security screening.

3

A blood test is a common type of screening.

4

The job application includes a screening of candidates.

How It's Used

Medical

"Regular mammograms are a form of breast cancer screening."

Business

"The company conducts background screening of all potential employees."

Tip:Imagine sifting through a substance to find what you are looking for.
3

A protective structure or barrier.

'skriːnɪŋ

nounneutralmedium
Technology

A protective barrier.

The window has a screening to block the sun.

💡 Simply: Think of something that keeps you safe or private. Like a window screen that keeps bugs out, or a privacy screen on your computer.

👶 For kids: A screening can also be something like a screen or a curtain to block the sun or to give you privacy.

More Examples

2

They used a screening to provide some privacy for the outdoor patio.

How It's Used

Architecture

"The building incorporated screening to reduce glare."

Tip:Imagine a screen that blocks something undesirable, like the sun.

Idioms & expressions

screening effect

The impact of a screening process, such as when a job screening filters out some candidates.

"The screening effect of the job application process significantly reduced the number of candidates to interview."

screen someone's calls

To control who can speak to someone.

"Her assistant screens her calls so she can focus on work."

From Middle English screnen, from Old English scrēnen ('to sift, screen'), related to Old Norse skrína ('to screen, protect').

Historically, 'screening' was used primarily in agriculture to separate grains or seeds. Its usage expanded to encompass medical and professional contexts over time.

Memory tip

Think of projecting the movie onto a screen to remember the meaning.

Word Origin

LanguageMiddle English
Original meaning

"to sift, to screen"

health screeningbackground screeningsecurity screeningscreening processscreening test

Common misspellings

screaningscreaningskreening

Usage

40%Spoken
60%Written