From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishto good/great/no etc effectto good/great/no etc effectEFFECTIVEused to show how successful an action is We tried to wake him, but to no effect. → effect
Examples from the Corpus
to good/great/no etc effect• Jones has turned the Trust's restrictions on the use of agrochemicals to good effect.• The bi-colour l.e.d. can utilise a transparent lens-clip to good effect.• Video is a relatively new medium for in-house communications and is used by some companies to great effect.• The threefold model of church growth of cell, congregation and celebration works at Ichthus to great effect.• And the book eschews alphabetical order in favour of thematic logic - to good effect.• Any ball direct to deane was usually flicked on to no effect.• But nobody demonized the opposition to greater effect than did Clinton strategist James Carville during the 1992 presidential campaign.• The task of management is to use these to greatest effect. 