effect
♦♦♦ ef|fect /ɪf'ekt/ (effects effecting effected)
1 [N-VAR] oft N of/on n, N of -ing, adj N
The effect of one thing on another is the change that the first thing causes in the second thing.
Parents worry about the effect of music on their adolescent's behavior...
Even minor head injuries can cause long-lasting psychological effects.
2 [N-COUNT]
An effect is an impression that someone creates deliberately, for example in a place or in a piece of writing.
The whole effect is cool, light and airy.
= impression
3 [N-PLURAL] with poss
A person's effects are the things that they have with them at a particular time, for example when they are arrested or admitted to hospital, or the things that they owned when they died. (FORMAL)
His daughters were collecting his effects.
= belongings
4 [N-PLURAL]
The effects in a film are the specially created sounds and scenery.
5 [VERB] V n
If you effect something that you are trying to achieve, you succeed in causing it to happen. (FORMAL)
Prospects for effecting real political change seemed to have taken a major step backwards.
6
see also greenhouse effect, placebo effect, side-effect, side-effect, sound effect, special effect
7 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that someone is doing something for effect, you mean that they are doing it in order to impress people and to draw attention to themselves.
The Cockney accent was put on for effect.
8 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
You add in effect to a statement or opinion that is not precisely accurate, but which you feel is a reasonable description or summary of a particular situation.
That deal would create, in effect, the world's biggest airline.
= effectively
9 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you put, bring, or carry a plan or idea into effect, you cause it to happen in practice.
These and other such measures ought to have been put into effect in 1985.
= implement
10 [PHRASE] V inflects
If a law or policy takes effect or comes into effect at a particular time, it officially begins to apply or be valid from that time. If it remains in effect, it still applies or is still valid.
...the ban on new logging permits which will take effect from July...
The decision was taken yesterday and will remain in effect until further government instructions.
11 [PHRASE] V inflects
You can say that something takes effect when it starts to produce the results that are intended.
The second injection should only have been given once the first drug had taken effect...
12 [PHRASE] PHR after v
You use effect in expressions such as to good effect and to no effect in order to indicate how successful or impressive an action is.
Mr Morris feels the museum is using advertising to good effect...
13 [PHRASE] n PHR
You use to this effect, to that effect, or to the effect that to indicate that you have given or are giving a summary of something that was said or written, and not the actual words used.
A circular to this effect will be issued in the next few weeks...
14 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that something will happen with immediate effect or with effect from a particular time, you mean that it will begin to apply or be valid immediately or from the stated time. (BRIT mainly FORMAL)
The price of the Saturday edition is going up with effect from 3 November.
15
cause and effect: see causedomi|no ef|fect
[N-SING]
If one event causes another similar event, which in turn causes another event, and so on, you can refer to this as a domino effect.
The domino effect if one train is cancelled is enormous.green|house ef|fect
[N-SING]
The greenhouse effect is the problem caused by increased quantities of gases such as carbon dioxide in the air. These gases trap the heat from the sun, and cause a gradual rise in the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.pla|cebo ef|fect (placebo effects)
[N-COUNT] usu the N in sing
The placebo effect is the fact that some patients' health improves after taking what they believe is an effective drug but which is in fact only a placebo.rip|ple ef|fect (ripple effects)
[N-COUNT]
If an event or action has a ripple effect, it causes several other events to happen one after the other.
Delayed flights have a ripple effect. Just one late flight could be carrying passengers for a dozen connecting services.
= knock-on effectsound ef|fect (sound effects)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Sound effects are the sounds that are created artificially to make a play more realistic, especially a radio play.spe|cial ef|fect (special effects)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
In film, special effects are unusual pictures or sounds that are created by using special techniques.
...a Hollywood horror film with special effects that are not for the nervous.
1 [N-VAR] oft N of/on n, N of -ing, adj N
The effect of one thing on another is the change that the first thing causes in the second thing.
Parents worry about the effect of music on their adolescent's behavior...
Even minor head injuries can cause long-lasting psychological effects.
2 [N-COUNT]
An effect is an impression that someone creates deliberately, for example in a place or in a piece of writing.
The whole effect is cool, light and airy.
= impression
3 [N-PLURAL] with poss
A person's effects are the things that they have with them at a particular time, for example when they are arrested or admitted to hospital, or the things that they owned when they died. (FORMAL)
His daughters were collecting his effects.
= belongings
4 [N-PLURAL]
The effects in a film are the specially created sounds and scenery.
5 [VERB] V n
If you effect something that you are trying to achieve, you succeed in causing it to happen. (FORMAL)
Prospects for effecting real political change seemed to have taken a major step backwards.
6
see also greenhouse effect, placebo effect, side-effect, side-effect, sound effect, special effect
7 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that someone is doing something for effect, you mean that they are doing it in order to impress people and to draw attention to themselves.
The Cockney accent was put on for effect.
8 [PHRASE] PHR with cl
You add in effect to a statement or opinion that is not precisely accurate, but which you feel is a reasonable description or summary of a particular situation.
That deal would create, in effect, the world's biggest airline.
= effectively
9 [PHRASE] V inflects
If you put, bring, or carry a plan or idea into effect, you cause it to happen in practice.
These and other such measures ought to have been put into effect in 1985.
= implement
10 [PHRASE] V inflects
If a law or policy takes effect or comes into effect at a particular time, it officially begins to apply or be valid from that time. If it remains in effect, it still applies or is still valid.
...the ban on new logging permits which will take effect from July...
The decision was taken yesterday and will remain in effect until further government instructions.
11 [PHRASE] V inflects
You can say that something takes effect when it starts to produce the results that are intended.
The second injection should only have been given once the first drug had taken effect...
12 [PHRASE] PHR after v
You use effect in expressions such as to good effect and to no effect in order to indicate how successful or impressive an action is.
Mr Morris feels the museum is using advertising to good effect...
13 [PHRASE] n PHR
You use to this effect, to that effect, or to the effect that to indicate that you have given or are giving a summary of something that was said or written, and not the actual words used.
A circular to this effect will be issued in the next few weeks...
14 [PHRASE] PHR after v
If you say that something will happen with immediate effect or with effect from a particular time, you mean that it will begin to apply or be valid immediately or from the stated time. (BRIT mainly FORMAL)
The price of the Saturday edition is going up with effect from 3 November.
15
cause and effect: see causedomi|no ef|fect
[N-SING]
If one event causes another similar event, which in turn causes another event, and so on, you can refer to this as a domino effect.
The domino effect if one train is cancelled is enormous.green|house ef|fect
[N-SING]
The greenhouse effect is the problem caused by increased quantities of gases such as carbon dioxide in the air. These gases trap the heat from the sun, and cause a gradual rise in the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere.pla|cebo ef|fect (placebo effects)
[N-COUNT] usu the N in sing
The placebo effect is the fact that some patients' health improves after taking what they believe is an effective drug but which is in fact only a placebo.rip|ple ef|fect (ripple effects)
[N-COUNT]
If an event or action has a ripple effect, it causes several other events to happen one after the other.
Delayed flights have a ripple effect. Just one late flight could be carrying passengers for a dozen connecting services.
= knock-on effectsound ef|fect (sound effects)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
Sound effects are the sounds that are created artificially to make a play more realistic, especially a radio play.spe|cial ef|fect (special effects)
[N-COUNT] usu pl
In film, special effects are unusual pictures or sounds that are created by using special techniques.
...a Hollywood horror film with special effects that are not for the nervous.