sound effects

plural noun

: 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

Examples of sound effects in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Work is often nonlinear and can feature interviews, sound bites, scripted segments, sound effects, and music. —Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026

Kudos to the Chicago Cubs for refusing to use sound effects or scoreboard graphics to tell their fans when to get excited. —Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2026

In testing, Fallout's dialogue was easy to hear in a quiet room, and atmospheric music and sound effects came through with good detail. —Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 29 Apr. 2026

Really, the entrance to that hell is a shot of a vending machine full of only red Gatorade, and the sculpting work that the sound team did to blend the grating atmospheric noise of the ER, Finneas’s tense score, and the key sound effects that connect us to Ashley’s fear and pain. —Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 24 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for sound effects

• analects
• architects
• dialects
• disconnects
• intellects
• interjects
• intersects
• recollects
• redirects
• affects
• aspects
• bisects

Kids Definition

sound effects

plural noun

: effects that imitate sounds called for in the script of a play, radio or television program, or motion picture