practical effect

[ prak-ti-kuhl i-fekt ]

noun

, Movies, Television.

1. Usually practical effects. a special effect that is created live on the set of a film, using real-world objects.

Word History and Origins

Origin of practical effect¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

I've never seen a film series do a better job stringing together such artfully crafted stupidity over so many hours, all aided by scripts full of big heart, and action sequences full of sensational practical effects.

From Ars Technica

The immediate practical effect of the recommended pause was limited because the overwhelming majority of the 192 million shots administered in the United States have been made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna using a different technology.

From Washington Post

The creative team used practical effects for the most part to bring the so-called pouffes to life on-screen, manipulating them in ways inspired by the facehuggers seen in Aliens.

From Fortune

The new guidelines, scheduled to go into effect in January, 2014, may in fact have little to no practical effect.

From The Daily Beast

But for practical effect, you'd be better off trying to explain the fundamentals of tensor calculus.

From The Daily Beast

The debate might have been held in any of the last dozen Sessions, with as much practical effect.

From Project Gutenberg

The actual practical effect with her is that she succeeds often in wisely deceiving, while intending to be perfectly sincere.

From Project Gutenberg

The practical effect of such an adjustment is to make the tide-agitated body turn a constant face towards its tormentor.

From Project Gutenberg

Practical effect was to be given to this principle by the Court before proceeding to divorce.

From Project Gutenberg

He issued his commands and it was for the gens du mtier to give practical effect to them.

From Project Gutenberg