in effect

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.

Example Sentences

We cannot comment further, as a non-disclosure provision is in effect.

From BBC

That legislative fix, effective through 2036, would in effect circumvent a decade of legal challenges by environmental groups seeking to stymie drilling in the county that produces about three-fourths of the state’s crude oil.

From Los Angeles Times

That legislative fix, effective through 2036, would in effect circumvent years of legal challenges by environmental groups seeking to stymie drilling.

From Los Angeles Times

Under the leadership of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a vaccine skeptic — federal agencies have in effect made it more difficult to get vaccinated against COVID-19 this year.

From Los Angeles Times

They acted, in effect, as lower court federal judges, until business and commerce and the law burgeoned.

From Salon