lock screen

noun

plural lock screens

: a graphical user interface displayed by a device (such as a computer or smartphone) that prevents access to most functions of the device until a certain action (such as swiping one's finger across the screen or entering a predetermined code) is performed

Speaking of locking your phone, Android typically shows notifications on your lock screen by default—which means the contents of messages you receive might be visible to anyone who looks at your device, even if they can't unlock it.

—JR Raphael

Examples of lock screen in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Since the Eagles' Super Bowl loss two years earlier against Kansas City, Hurts adorned his phone's lock screen with a photo of himself walking off the field following the defeat, a constant reminder of coming up short on the NFL's biggest stage. —Andrew Greif, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025

Apple is also adding an option to help manage notification summaries from the lock screen. —Jibin Joseph, PCMAG, 17 Jan. 2025

To customize the clock design on the lock screen and add widgets, tap and hold on the lock screen to edit it. —Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 13 Feb. 2025

Apple has updated several of the core user interface elements of the device, including the lock screen, home screen, and Control Center to support a wider range of colors and customization. —Kif Leswing, CNBC, 15 July 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1991, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lock screen

• agin
• alkene
• allene
• ameen
• amin
• amine
• arene
• athene
• baleen
• beeline
• benzene
• between