any sound artificially produced, reproduced from a recording, etc, to create a theatrical effect, such as the bringing together of two halves of a hollow coconut shell to simulate a horse's gallop; used in plays, films, etc
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
sound′ effect′,
- Show Businessany sound, other than music or speech, artificially reproduced to create an effect in a dramatic presentation, as the sound of a storm or a creaking door.
- 1925–30
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
'sound effects' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Acid House
- Foley
- alarums and excursions
- dubbing
- echo chamber
- footsteps editor
- light show
- loop
- mix
- off-mike
- overdub
- post-synchronization
- prerecord
- rerecording
- son et lumière
- sound man
- sound-and-light
- sound-and-light show
- special effects
- transition