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.
This year's El Nino, a pattern of warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific that has ripple effects through the atmosphere, is exceptionally strong and could be amplifying those waves.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
Without those effects, an otherwise comparable model reached the conventional limit of roughly 1.4 solar masses.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 6, 2026
Mountain lions in particular are suffering from the effects of inbreeding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
“Claude Monet: A Life in Letters”—a rich compilation of correspondences produced by five editors, led by Teresa Krasny, and translated by Louise Rogers Lalaurie—underscores the artist’s obsession with natural effects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
“I must be on my way. The effects of sweetgrass are only temporary, and I must return to my pond. Don’t forget our agreement. I saved your life; now you must save mine.”
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
