side effect
or side-ef·fect
noun
any effect of a drug, chemical, or other medicine that is in addition to its intended effect, especially an effect that is harmful or unpleasant.
any accompanying or consequential and usually detrimental effect: the side effects of air pollution.
QUIZZES
CAN YOU GUESS THESE WORDS FROM AROUND THE US?
American English is not always as it appears to be ... get to know regional words in this quiz!
Question 1 of 10
A bet is synonymous with a wager, but what does it mean in New York?
Origin of side effect
First recorded in 1880–85
Words nearby side effect
side deal, side dish, side-dress, side dressing, side drum, side effect, side-foot, side-glance, sidehead, sidehill, side horse
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
British Dictionary definitions for side effect
side effect
noun
any unwanted nontherapeutic effect caused by a drugCompare aftereffect (def. 2)
any secondary effect, esp an undesirable one
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Medical definitions for side effect
side effect
n.
A peripheral or secondary effect, especially an undesirable secondary effect of a drug or therapeutic regimen.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.