effects
Americanplural noun
plural noun
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Also called: personal effects. personal property or belongings
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lighting, sounds, etc, to accompany and enhance a stage, film, or broadcast production
Synonym Usage
See property.
Etymology
Origin of effects
Plural of effect
Explanation
Effects are portable personal property not used for business. We most often hear this word in reference to one's "personal effects." The noun effects was first used in 1704 to mean "goods and property." It's your personal stuff, like keys, fine china collection, watch, car, or earrings. "Personal effects" is a phrase often associated with a last will and testament, when someone bequeaths certain items (or items in general) to someone else, but it can also refer to the belongings you remove from your pockets and fork over when you go to jail (which you'll then get back when you leave).
Vocabulary lists containing effects
The Bill of Rights
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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Girl in the Blue Coat
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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.
“Fortunately he’s got his little tunic, so we don’t have to worry about his legs,” says Legacy Effects co-founder J. Alan Scott.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
It also contributed to the dream-like world in "Dune: Part 2," which won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects last year.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
The study, titled "Negative Effects of Excessive Heat on Colony Thermoregulation and Population Dynamics in Honey Bees," followed nine honey bee colonies during a particularly hot summer in Arizona.
From Science Daily • Jan. 13, 2026
So your work shares a lot of parallels with "Common Side Effects."
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025
Effects of exposure to classical music on the musical preferences of pre-school children.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
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.
