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personal effects
plural noun
: privately owned items (such as clothing and jewelry) normally worn or carried on the person
Synonyms
Examples of personal effects in a Sentence
put all of your personal effects in the bin so that they can be x-rayed
Recent Examples on the Web
But personal effects were not the magnet that drew members of families to the edge of the once-beautiful residential district.
—Jerome Hansen, Jack Schermerhorn, Ralph Nelson and Ken McCormick, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
Monroe had left her personal effects and the bulk of her intellectual property to her acting teacher Lee Strasberg.
—Rachel Monroe, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
And what to do with the fact that Freda B. herself had no choice in the decision to photograph her suitcase, to have her personal effects displayed for everyone to see?
—Seyward Darby, Longreads, 13 Mar. 2024
Giacalone has questioned the integrity of the crime scene during the early stages of the investigation, the eventual release of the scene and personal effects inside the home, and the destruction of the building.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 4 Mar. 2024
The play follows siblings who return to their late father’s home to settle his affairs and discover a disturbing item among his personal effects, which leads to an outpouring of family tension and differing views on how to handle it.
—Caitlin Huston, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024
The Nebraska lab where Brown works has 80 tables, each full of remains and personal effects that can work to solve the mystery.
—CBS News, 21 Dec. 2023
The Nebraska lab that Brown works at has 80 tables, each full of remains and personal effects that can work to solve the mystery.
—CBS News, 28 Nov. 2023
These days, finding the fallen has become more difficult, requiring the team to use metal detectors to uncover munitions or personal effects.
—Valerie Hopkins Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 11 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'personal effects.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1818, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near personal effects
Cite this Entry
“Personal effects.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/personal%20effects. Accessed 14 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
personal effects
plural noun
: privately owned items (as clothing or jewelry) normally worn or carried on the person
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