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

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

Of course, people like the sound effects — but how they’re created is a trade secret, one neither Spiegel nor Monahan will share. —Emily Longeretta, Variety, 21 Apr. 2026

While offering a musical analysis for fart sound effects may sound like a harmless gag, the tech’s tendency to hallucinate and mislead could have far more serious consequences as well. —Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 15 Apr. 2026

This story should be accompanied by sound effects. —Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 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