Meanings
present singular third person effectuates · participle present effectuating · participle past effectuated · past effectuated
- transitiveTo cause, bring about (an event); to accomplish, to carry out (a wish, plan etc.).First known use 16th c.
[T]he next necessary step was to elude the vigilance of my guard: and in this manner did I effectuate my purpose.
1751, [Tobias] Smollett, chapter 88, in The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle […], volume III, London: Harrison and Co., […], →OCLC1 more example
A military draft derives from Congress’s power to raise armies; federal jury duty effectuates the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial.
2022 January 11, Charles Lane, “Opinion: On vaccine mandates, the Supreme Court is doing a job Congress should have finished long ago”, in The Washington Post
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Frencheffectuer
- Latineffectus“effect”
- Renaissance Latineffectuare
- Englisheffectuate
From the participle stem of Renaissance Latin effectuare, or its source, Latin effectus (“effect”); probably after Middle French effectuer.
More words from Renaissance Latin, Latin, Middle French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian постигам, изпълнявам
- постигам (postigam)to be the cause of
- изпълнявам (izpălnjavam)to be the cause of
Finnish aiheuttaa, saada aikaan
- aiheuttaato be the cause of
- saada aikaanto be the cause of
- saada aikaiseksito be the cause of
- tehdäto be the cause of
- panna toimeento be the cause of
- toteuttaato be the cause of
Greek πραγματοποιώ, πραγματώνω
- πραγματοποιώ (pragmatopoió)to be the cause of
- πραγματώνω (pragmatóno)to be the cause of
- υλοποιώ (ylopoió)to be the cause of
Spanish efectuar, efectuarse
- efectuarto be the cause of
- efectuarsereflexive
Swedish effektuera
- effektuerato be the cause of
Cite this entry
effectuate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effectuate
“effectuate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effectuate. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “effectuate,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/effectuate.
Source: effectuate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.