in effect
Idioms-
For all practical purposes, as in This testimony in effect contradicted her earlier statement . [Late 1500s]
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In or into operation, as in This law will be in effect in January . Related phrases include go into effect and take effect , which mean “become operative,” as in This law goes into effect January 1 , or It takes effect January 1 . Similarly, put into effect means “make operative,” as in When will the judge's ruling be put into effect? [Late 1700s] Also see in force , def. 2.
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.
A beach hazard statement is in effect through Wednesday afternoon.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
Tropical storm warnings -- as well as lower-grade watches -- were in effect in parts of Florida and Louisiana.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
You have, in effect, answered your own question.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
"A tropical storm watch is in effect for Ochlockonee River, Florida, westward to the Jefferson/Plaquemines Parish border in Louisiana," forecasters said.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Central to Gilbert’s enterprise was the claim that you could reproduce his experiments and confirm his results: his book was, in effect, a collection of experimental recipes.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
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.
