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
Related Words
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.
"We know that dark matter is around us. It just has to be dense enough for us to see its effects," says Josu Aurrekoetxea, a postdoc in the MIT Department of Physics.
From Science Daily • May 19, 2026
So far, the revelations about Chopra’s friendship with Epstein have had limited effects in the real world.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
The team was led by Monica Montefalcone, who was associate professor of ecology at Genoa University, along with research fellow Muriel Oddenino, who were looking at the effects of climate change on tropical biodiversity.
From BBC • May 19, 2026
The effects of the new law have not been as dramatic as homesellers like you had hoped.
From MarketWatch • May 19, 2026
“She thought it was scary, no matter how fake the special effects were.”
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
