something to this effect

Meaning

1. 1phrasefixed phrase

   Used after reporting what someone said or wrote to show that you are giving the general meaning but not the exact words.

   Grammar: Comes after the reported speech: he said something to this effect.

   Patterns

   • say something to this effect
   • write something to this effect

   He told us he was tired of waiting, or something to this effect.

   The letter said that the contract would end in March, or something to this effect.

   She replied with something to this effect: nobody is perfect.

Common combinations

said something to this effect

The manager said something to this effect before leaving.

wrote something to this effect

The reviewer wrote something to this effect in the paper.

or something to this effect

We were told to be quiet, or something to this effect.

words to this effect

He replied in words to this effect.

something to that effect

He said something to that effect when I asked.

Synonyms and how they differ

words to that effect

Words to that effect is slightly more formal and often appears in legal or news reporting.

or something like that

Or something like that is more casual and can refer to anything, not just reported speech.

more or less

More or less says the report is approximately right but does not point back to what was said.

in so many words

In so many words usually means the person did not say it directly, which is different from reporting an approximate version.

Opposites

Word family

effect noun

here, the general meaning or sense of words

effective adjective

producing the wanted result

to the effect that phrase

introducing the general content of a statement

Commonly confused: something to this effect or affect?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “something to this effect”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words