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.
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
Effects could include delayed data centers, higher prices for laptops, TVs and other consumer electronics, and possible chip shortages for automakers that would delay vehicle production, in a potential repeat of the pandemic car crisis.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 17, 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
And while Common Side Effects creators Joseph Bennett and Steve Hely were inspired in part by mycology popularizer and mushroom entrepreneur Paul Stamets, the Los Cedros mushroom is merely named after him: Psilocybe stametsii.
From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025
The book was eventually published in 1862 with the title On the Various Contrivances by which British and Foreign Orchids Are Fertilized by Insects, and on the Good Effects of Intercrossing.
From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman
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.
