- 1an extra and usually bad effect that a drug has on you, as well as curing illness or pain The drug has few side effects. Side effects include skin rashes and nausea. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivecommon, possible, potential, … verb + side effectcause, have, produce, … prepositionside effect from, side effect of, side effect on, … See full entry See related entries: Medication
- 2an unexpected result of a situation or course of action that happens as well as the result you were aiming for Opponents of the policy fear that it could have unfortunate side effects on the economy. Extra examples The medication can have adverse side effects on the patient. The patient suffered severe side effects from the drug. The treatment has some unfortunate side effects. This drug has no known side effects.
side effect
nounBrE BrE//ˈsaɪd ɪfekt//; NAmE NAmE//ˈsaɪd ɪfekt//
[usually plural] MedicationCheck pronunciation: side effect