sound effects

plural noun

|Updated on: 22 Jul 2018

Definition of sound effects

: effects that are imitative of sounds called for in the script of a dramatic production (such as a radio show) and that enhance the production's illusion of reality

Recent Examples of sound effects from the Web

Behind a screen, puppets mounted on long, slim sticks dance and sway, twirling, backlit so that only their dark shadows appear, while puppeteers called Karagyoz players sing, provide sound effects and create voices for the characters.

— allison keyes, Smithsonian, "Illuminating the Shadowy Art of Armenian Puppet Theater," 13 July 2018
Every button tap and block-completion triggers sound effects synced to the tune.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Lumines Remastered turns the Nintendo Switch into a full-body vibration party," 26 June 2018
The hit show reveals how top-charting Billboard artists’ biggest hits came to be by combining stories direct from the artists themselves with fun animation and sound effects.

— gil kaufman, Billboard, "Billboard Debuts 'How It Went Down' on IGTV With Story Behind Troye Sivan's 'My My My'," 21 June 2018
To make the video even more dramatic, the sheriff's office added some fake sound effects of a bear roaring.

— tiffini theisen, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Viral video shows deputy smashing car window to let trapped bear escape," 20 June 2018
In all the game should take 20 to 30 minutes to play, says Amazon, though the Alexa skill has more than two hours of gameplay and sound effects packed into its 60 possible paths to success.

— john patrick pullen, Fortune, "Amazon Alexa's Immersive 'Westworld' Game Could Make You Freeze All Motor Functions," 20 June 2018
Rapper Eminem performed at the Bonnaroo music festival in Tennessee this weekend, causing panic among concertgoers when one of his songs ended with realistic gunshot sound effects.

— alix langone, Time, "Gunshot Sound Effects Used During Eminem's Bonnaroo Set Caused the Crowd to Panic," 10 June 2018
The entire five-minute performance featured loud explosions and sound effects of gunfire.

— andrew o'reilly, Fox News, "Gaza preschoolers seen performing mock execution of Israeli soldier," 3 June 2018
In a movie without much spoken dialogue or loud sound effects, the quiet becomes loud and the loud becomes ear-piercing.

— todd vanderwerff, Vox, "A Quiet Place’s sound designers on building its very loud silence," 26 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sound effects.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.