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.
What remained unclear was exactly how the compound produced its protective effects.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026
In April, the federal government announced a $144-million effort to study the effects of microplastics in human bodies and drinking water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
In Indonesia's Palangkaraya -- part of the epicentre of the fires where thick haze turned the skies into apocalyptic shades of yellow and orange -- residents said they were suffering from its effects on Saturday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
"Menopause is something that effects 50% of the population, so we absolutely should be expecting a level of health," Williams added.
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
Kyle could hear the computer’s click-clack sound effects accompanying Marjory’s glass-tapping as she entered her answer, too.
From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein
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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.
