in effect

Idioms  

1. For all practical purposes, as in This testimony in effect contradicted her earlier statement . [Late 1500s]

2. 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.

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Example Sentences

Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked whether there was something like designated-survivor planning in effect for the dinner, he didn’t answer directly.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

The Health Department, they argued, has no authority to issue what are, in effect, zoning regulations.

From Salon • Apr. 27, 2026

The housing promises, in effect, have been "watered down", wrote Canadian economist and former Trudeau advisor Mike Moffatt late last year in the Toronto Star, shortly after the budget was released.

From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026

WISeR is, in effect, an experiment on Medicare patients.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 22, 2026

And I, Grendel, was the dark side, he said in effect.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner