"to the effect" meaning in English

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "to the effect",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He was vague but said something to the effect that he'd do it soon.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 August 25, David Streitfeld, “The Best Book Reviews Money Can Buy”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "[…]why not cut out the middleman and write the review himself? Then it would say exactly what the client wanted — that it was a terrific book. A shattering novel. A classic memoir. Will change your life. Lyrical and gripping, Stunning and compelling. Or words to that effect.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "With more or less the meaning of."
      ],
      "id": "en-to_the_effect-en-prep_phrase-5OJJrQIh",
      "links": [
        [
          "more or less",
          "more or less"
        ]
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "be like"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "to that effect"
        },
        {
          "word": "to this effect"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "code": "da",
          "lang": "Danish",
          "sense": "with the meaning of",
          "word": "i retning af"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "with the meaning of",
          "word": "i retning av"
        },
        {
          "code": "nn",
          "english": "to “that” effect",
          "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
          "sense": "with the meaning of",
          "word": "i den retning"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "to the effect"
}

{
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "prepositional phrase"
      },
      "expansion": "to the effect",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "prep_phrase",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "be like"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English lemmas",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English prepositional phrases",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He was vague but said something to the effect that he'd do it soon.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "2012 August 25, David Streitfeld, “The Best Book Reviews Money Can Buy”, in The New York Times, →ISSN",
          "text": "[…]why not cut out the middleman and write the review himself? Then it would say exactly what the client wanted — that it was a terrific book. A shattering novel. A classic memoir. Will change your life. Lyrical and gripping, Stunning and compelling. Or words to that effect.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "With more or less the meaning of."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "more or less",
          "more or less"
        ]
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "to that effect"
    },
    {
      "word": "to this effect"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "da",
      "lang": "Danish",
      "sense": "with the meaning of",
      "word": "i retning af"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "with the meaning of",
      "word": "i retning av"
    },
    {
      "code": "nn",
      "english": "to “that” effect",
      "lang": "Norwegian Nynorsk",
      "sense": "with the meaning of",
      "word": "i den retning"
    }
  ],
  "word": "to the effect"
}