effect
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A result or outcome, or an impression made on someone
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
ihfehktSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ɪˈfɛkt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
The result or outcome of a cause.
usually in the plural
Belongings, usually as personal effects.
An impression (especially one that is artificial or contrived)
“He just did it for effect.”
Impression left on the mind; sensation produced.
Execution; performance; realization; operation.
Consequence intended; purpose; meaning; general intent; with to.
verb
transitive
To make or bring about; to implement.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The result or outcome of a cause.
Used this way, effect is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use effect
- “He just did it for effect.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
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Similar Words, What’s the Difference?
Close in meaning, but not always interchangeable.
Something that results.
The end result of an event or events, any result or outcome, particularly.
An effect; something that follows a cause as a result.
The final result, or outcome of something.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
Property of a personal character that is portable but not used in business.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
One who brings about a result or event.
Producing or capable of producing an intended result or having a striking effect.
In an effective manner.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A secondary or incidental effect.
The principle that behaviors are selected by their consequences.
Property of a personal character that is portable but not used in business.
Electricity produced by mechanical pressure on certain crystals (notably quartz or Rochelle salt).
Electricity produced by mechanical pressure on certain crystals (notably quartz or Rochelle salt).
Any effect that seems to be a consequence of administering a placebo.
Related words
Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.
Power to be effective.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.