Phrase guide

pan and scan

adj · noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Formatted to fit within proportions of a 1.33:1 or 1.78:1 aspect ratio television screen, with sides of the original widescreen image (especially 2.35:1 aspect ratio) cropped off.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television

Examples

  • Paul disdained pan and scan DVD releases, always holding out for the widescreen special editions.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images, especially 2.35:1 or 2.39:1 aspect ratio, so that they can be shown within the proportions of a 1.33:1 or 1.78:1 aspect ratio television screen, by cropping off sides of the original widescreen image, as opposed to letterboxing.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television

Examples

  • Alicia hated the person who had invented pan and scan, since the heightened panning effect aggravated her nausea when watching action movies.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A movie recording employing this technology.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television

Examples

  • In the discount bin by the door sat a pile of pan and scans, mostly comedies, that no one would touch.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To adjust widescreen film images so that they can be shown with standard television aspect ratios by cropping the original image, i.e. using pan and scan methods.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

To crop out (a character or object) when performing the pan and scan process, resulting in the deletion of a character or object.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: broadcasting, film, media, television

Examples

  • In the full-screen version of Star Wars Episode II, only Anakin and Obi-Wan appear in the scene because Padmé was panned and scanned out.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • French: recadrage — method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images
  • Japanese: パンアンドスキャン (pan ando sukyan) — method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images
  • Korean: 팬 앤드 스캔 (paen aendeu seukaen) — method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images
  • Polish: pan and scan — method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images
  • Russian: панскани́рование (panskanírovanije) — method or practice of adjusting widescreen film images