special effect
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of special effect
First recorded in 1940–45
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 scene in which Bill taps his glass eye with a knife was not some special effect.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026
"Ryan is the special effect - that's the one thing we couldn't fix in post - Ryan's belief and his relationship with this character," he adds.
From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026
If we are up close, we can use macro lenses and can slow things down, that could be a very special effect.
From Salon • Jan. 9, 2025
Sofia’s increasingly impactful fashion statements are almost their own kind of special effect.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 27, 2024
“That’s not right! It can’t be real! It’s a special effect or something, right? I mean, I can deal with little monsters with axes and blue fire tunnels and everything, but that’s not right!”
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
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.
