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.
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
GLP-1 super-responders lose the most weight — and are also more likely to struggle with side effects like nausea and vomiting.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Under these conditions, the team found that entirely new quantum effects involving time could emerge.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
A few meters away, Nanuq was starting to feel the effects of the tranquilizer dart, and he paced around like his brain was getting foggy.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
