special effect
noun
: an image or sound that is created in television, radio, or movies to represent something real (such as an explosion) or imaginary (such as a monster)
a movie with spectacular special effects
Examples of special effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Another special effect Clipchamp offers is video speedup and slowdown.
—
PCMAG, 15 Mar. 2025
Filming this way adds time and complication: There are so many more moving parts, and for each new take of a scene, every patient and special effect has to be reset, and the entire set has to be cleaned and reorganized.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Yes, late night shows do jokes about politics, but only SNL is comprised primarily of sketches with sets, costumes, and the occasional special effect.
—Al Franken, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
For a more eye-catching style, these special effect press-ons by OPI are big-time attention-stealers.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2025
Advertisement Sofia’s increasingly impactful fashion statements are almost their own kind of special effect.
—Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
Apple cider vinegar is said to have a special effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
—Anne Heigel, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2024
McCarthy vamps it up as the conniving Ursula, going big but not too big — the one special effect that escapes the rest of the film’s soulless spectacle.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 May 2024
There is something charming, though, about seeing what is clearly just a man in a gorilla suit be played so straightforward and earnestly like a special effect.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2024
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PCMAG, 15 Mar. 2025
Filming this way adds time and complication: There are so many more moving parts, and for each new take of a scene, every patient and special effect has to be reset, and the entire set has to be cleaned and reorganized.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2025
Yes, late night shows do jokes about politics, but only SNL is comprised primarily of sketches with sets, costumes, and the occasional special effect.
—Al Franken, TIME, 12 Feb. 2025
For a more eye-catching style, these special effect press-ons by OPI are big-time attention-stealers.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2025
Advertisement Sofia’s increasingly impactful fashion statements are almost their own kind of special effect.
—Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2024
Apple cider vinegar is said to have a special effect on the gastrointestinal tract.
—Anne Heigel, Glamour, 17 Sep. 2024
McCarthy vamps it up as the conniving Ursula, going big but not too big — the one special effect that escapes the rest of the film’s soulless spectacle.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 4 May 2024
There is something charming, though, about seeing what is clearly just a man in a gorilla suit be played so straightforward and earnestly like a special effect.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Special effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/special%20effect. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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