off-camera

American  

[awf-kam-er-uh, -kam-ruh, of-] / ˈɔfˈkæm ər ə, -ˈkæm rə, ˈɒf- /

adjective

1. occurring as part of a film or program but outside the range of the motion-picture or television camera.

   the off-camera shouts of a mob.

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adverb

1. out of the range of a motion-picture or television camera.

   The star walked off-camera at the end of his monologue.

2. (of an actor) in one's private rather than professional life.

   Off-camera the movie star liked to cook.

Etymology

Origin of off-camera

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

She performs humble Christian motherhood with aplomb, her antisocial personality tucked away as deftly as the farmhouse kitchen’s off-camera dishwasher.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 7, 2026

It was a reach—“I’m never mad,” Manley said—so he asked Chalamet to berate him off-camera to get worked up for a red-faced confrontation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 26, 2025

“We could meet off-camera and talk about issues. We’d say this is what we got, and the press would say ‘this is what we want to ask about,’ then we would do our homework.

From Salon • Nov. 7, 2025

Eastern time, following a well-crafted victory, someone off-camera told him to end the stream.

From Slate • Nov. 1, 2025

Tony owes his success not only to his good looks and his acting ability, but also to his likable off-camera personality.

From 100 New Yorkers of the 1970s by Millard, Max