Meaning & use
go into effect
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Meaning
phraseidiomformal
To begin to apply officially, as when a law, rule or agreement starts to be in force.
Grammar: Subject is a rule or decision, and it has no object: the law goes into effect.
Patterns
- something goes into effect
- go into effect on a date
The new parking rules go into effect on Monday.
The ceasefire will go into effect at midnight.
When does the tax change go into effect?
Word forms
| third person singular | goes into effect |
|---|---|
| past tense | went into effect |
| past participle | gone into effect |
| -ing form | going into effect |
Common combinations
- go into effect immediately
- The ban will go into effect immediately.
- go into effect next month
- The policy goes into effect next month.
- law goes into effect
- The law goes into effect on January 1.
- set to go into effect
- The rule is set to go into effect in spring.
- go into effect on
- The contract goes into effect on the first of the month.
Synonyms and how they differ
- take effect
- Take effect is nearly identical and slightly more common in everyday news writing.
- come into force
- Come into force is the usual British phrase, especially for laws.
- begin
- Begin is a general word, while go into effect is used only for rules, orders and plans.
- kick in
- Kick in is informal and often describes things that start working, such as medicine.
Opposites
Word family
- effect noun
- a result or state of being in force
- effective adjective
- working well, or officially in force
- effectively adverb
- in a way that works well or in practice
- effectiveness noun
- the ability to produce a desired result
Commonly confused: go into effect or affect?
go into effect vs affect
Affect is a verb meaning to influence something; effect is the noun in the phrase go into effect.
Practice
Which word completes the sentence: The new regulations will go into ____ on July 1.
Choose one answer.
The set phrase is go into effect. Affect is a verb and cannot follow into, and go into action has a different meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “go into effect”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.