effects 1 of 2

noun

plural of effect
as in things
transportable items that one owns the family packed up its household effects and moved to Florida

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

effects

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of effect
as in causes
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) classroom presentations designed to effect greater interest in careers in scientific fields

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of effects
Noun
Some opening day effects are long gone, such as the illusion created by actual shifting doors at the start of the attraction, or visions of tumbling rubble near its beginning. — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 The progression from vessel impact to environmental damage is clear to see in many cases, said Brian Barnes, who is part of a group of satellite oceanographers at the University of South Florida analyzing the effects of this war from afar. — Paula Hancocks, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2026 Even people who don’t meet the clinical threshold often feel the effects of less daylight on their sleep and energy. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 23 Oct. 2026 But the effects of the Middle East conflict, including the choked Strait of Hormuz, hindered that possibility. — Dylan Lysen, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026 Forecasters say this year's could be among the strongest on record, and its effects are already being felt across South America and far beyond. — Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026 Engineers need experimental evidence to understand those effects and refine their designs. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026 Give Honest, Timely Updates While change can be good, people fear uncertainty and the possible negative effects of change. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026 The stronger ocean warming can, however, increase the potential for more pronounced effects on weather patterns. — Callie Zanandrie, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Verb
Still, stakeholders are unsure what effects a veto override will have. — Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026 Here, The Athletic outlines United’s debt picture and what effects this latest refinancing may have. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 13 June 2026 The overwhelming amount of digital evidence that both district attorneys and public defenders in Colorado must manage is so dire that state lawmakers created a task force to address the issue, which effects every criminal case in the state. — Shaun Boyd, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025 What effects the death of his son or other losses and loves had upon his plays are secrets that Shakespeare carried with him to the grave. — James Shapiro, The Atlantic, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for effects
  1. things
  2. causes
  3. possession
  4. creates
  5. belongings
  6. brings
  7. stuff
  8. prompts
Noun
  • Born in 1888, Jim Casey spent his life, starting at the tender age of eleven, thinking about how to deliver things more efficiently.
    — Marc Levinson, Fortune, 25 Oct. 2026
  • New York — Brett Smiley was elected mayor of Providence in 2022 on a pledge to build more housing and get things done in Rhode Island’s capital city.
    — Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of things
Verb
  • This position causes the moonlight to pass through a denser layer of air, shortening blue and violet wavelengths and making the orange and red ones stand out — similar to a sunset.
    — Dharma Niles, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Yet in September, Bangladesh reported a daily average of 1,198 new cases of measles, which causes a high fever, cough and telltale rash.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of causes
Noun
  • Salceda was charged with one count of murder and one count of possession of a firearm by a felon.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
  • She was given 10 days to surrender her certificate of naturalization, along with any copies in her possession, to government attorneys.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of possession
Verb
  • This creates a compounding cycle of high-cost debt where the business borrows money strictly to service existing commercial obligations, effectively pulling the operation underwater.
    — Nathan Mor, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • To see how this spread creates randomness throughout the world, consider an ordinary coin-flip experiment again.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of creates
Noun
  • That opened the golfer up to having his girlfriend riffle through his belongings in order to make content for social media.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Contractors will continue working in the parking garage over the next four to six weeks before tenants can enter the Empire Towers building to retrieve their belongings, attorneys said.
    — Adam Thompson, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of belongings
Verb
  • Silverstein said the deal helps the other tenants too, because a Spirit brings shoppers to a shopping center that would otherwise have a dark storefront.
    — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The most sobering reality check on Beirut City Pop brings the conflict into stark relief.
    — Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of brings
Noun
  • That's the stuff that my opponent has voted for at the state capital.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 2026
  • On the sweet side, several of our editors adore Coop’s dessert sauces, which far exceed the usual grocery store stuff.
    — Wilder Davies, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of stuff
Verb
  • In the road movie, which is Thailand’s international Oscar feature film submission, a prophecy prompts an aging grandmother to embark on a nine-temple pilgrimage with her children and grandchildren.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The episode opens with Riley sitting at his work desk, and something prompts him to look for Ray Biller.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of prompts

Phrases Containing effects

Browse Nearby Words

effectiveness
effects
effectual
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Effects.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/effects. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All