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• cause
  cause

  noun

  a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result; the producer of an effect.
• 'cause
  'cause

  conjunction

  a shortened form of because.

cause

¹ American  

[kawz] / kɔz /

noun

• causes
  plural

1. a person or thing that acts, happens, or exists in such a way that some specific thing happens as a result; the producer of an effect.

   You have been the cause of much anxiety.

   What was the cause of the accident?

2. the reason or motive for some human action.

   The good news was a cause for rejoicing.

3. good or sufficient reason.

   to complain without cause;

   to be dismissed for cause.

4. Law.

   1. a ground of legal action; the matter over which a person goes to law.

   2. a case for judicial decision.

5. any subject of discussion or debate.

6. a principle, ideal, goal, or movement to which a person or group is dedicated.

   the Socialist cause;

   the human rights cause.

7. the welfare of a person or group, seen as a subject of concern.

   support for the cause of the American Indian.

8. Philosophy.

   1. the end or purpose for which a thing is done or produced.

   2. Aristotelianism. any of the four things necessary for the movement or the coming into being of a thing, namely a material material cause, something to act upon it efficient cause, a form taken by the movement or development formal cause, and a goal or purpose final cause.

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verb (used with object)

• causes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• caused,
  past participle,  past
• causing
  present participle

1. to be the cause of; bring about.

   Synonyms:

   produce, create, make, effect

idioms

1. make common cause, to unite in a joint effort; work together for the same end.

   They made common cause with neighboring countries and succeeded in reducing tariffs.

'cause ² American  

[kawz, kuhz, kuhz] / kɔz, kʌz, kəz /

conjunction

Informal.

1. a shortened form of because.

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cause British  

/ kɔːz /

noun

1. a person, thing, event, state, or action that produces an effect

2. grounds for action; motive; justification

   she had good cause to shout like that

3. the ideals, etc, of a group or movement

   the Communist cause

4. the welfare or interests of a person or group in a dispute

   they fought for the miners' cause

5. a matter of widespread concern or importance

   the cause of public health

6. 1. a ground for legal action; matter giving rise to a lawsuit

   2. the lawsuit itself

7. (in the philosophy of Aristotle) any of four requirements for a thing's coming to be, namely material (material cause), its nature (formal cause), an agent (efficient cause), and a purpose (final cause)

8. to join with (a person, group, etc) for a common objective

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verb

1. (tr) to be the cause of; bring about; precipitate; be the reason for

cause More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing cause

• lost cause

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Usage

What is a basic definition of cause? A cause is a person, thing, event, or action that triggers a resulting event. Cause can also mean a motivation or an ideal or goal that a person or group is dedicated to. Cause has several other senses as a noun and one as a verb. In manner of speaking, the cause tells you why something happened. A cause is the spark that lights a fire. The cause of you being sick might be a bacteria or a virus that harms your body. You giving your niece a birthday present might be the cause of her being happy. The word cause is often used with the word effect, which means a resulting action that happens because of a cause.

• Real-life examples: Faulty wiring may be the cause of an electrical fire. John Wilkes Booth was the cause of Abraham Lincoln’s death (because Booth shot Lincoln). A giant iceberg was the cause of the sinking of the Titanic.
• Used in a sentence: Experts are still trying to figure out the cause of the mysterious plane crash. 

In this sense, cause is used as a verb to mean to bring about something.

• Used in a sentence: My late-night partying caused me to fail my exam.

Cause is also used as a synonym for motive or reason, meaning a person’s motivation for doing something. In this sense, cause is often used in law (usually as “just cause” or “sufficient cause”) to determine if someone had a valid reason for doing something.

• Used in a sentence: The lawyer argued that the company had fired his client without good cause.

A cause is something that a person or group believes in or an ideal or goal that they have dedicated themselves to.

• Real-life examples: Antiracism is a cause that wants to end racism. Environmentalism is a cause that wants to protect the environment from damage. If a friend of yours is very sick and you start a collection to help with medical bills, that too is a cause.
• Used in a sentence: I donated $50 to the cancer charity because they have a good cause.

Synonym Usage

Cause, occasion refer to the starting of effects into motion. A cause is an agency, perhaps acting through a long time, or a long-standing situation, that produces an effect: The cause of the quarrel between the two men was jealousy. An occasion is an event that provides an opportunity for the effect to become evident, or perhaps promotes its becoming evident: The occasion was the fact that one man's wages were increased. See reason.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• causability
  noun
• causelessness
  noun
• causer
  noun
• subcause
  noun
• undercause
  noun
• causable
  adjective
• causeless
  adjective
• noncausable
  adjective
• self-caused
  adjective
• uncausable
  adjective
• causelessly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• causes
  plural

Participles

• causing
  present
• caused
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• cause
  simple
• causes
  simple
• have caused
  perfect
• has caused
  perfect
• am causing
  progressive
• are causing
  progressive
• is causing
  progressive
• have been causing
  perfect progressive
• has been causing
  perfect progressive

Past

• caused
  simple
• had caused
  perfect
• was causing
  progressive
• were causing
  progressive
• had been causing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will cause
  simple
• will have caused
  perfect
• will be causing
  progressive
• will have been causing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of cause¹

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English, from Latin causa “case, reason, sake”

Origin of 'cause²

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; aphetic variant

Explanation

A cause makes an effect, and you're likely to hear the phrase "cause and effect" when people are trying to analyze how things happen. Cause can also mean something worth fighting for — like social justice or animal rights. You might raise money for a good cause, like ending poverty. Once the doctor determines the cause of your illness, she might make it her personal cause to discover a cure. The verb cause is all about the action of producing an effect, like when you slice onions and it causes your eyes to water.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cause 'cause causes caused causing

Mediation can prevent family breakdown, a leading cause of youth homelessness, saving more than £27,000 per person in specialist accommodation costs.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

Stroke remains one of the world's biggest health problems and ranks as the third leading cause of death and disability combined.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

The American Medical Assn. and some nutrition experts, however, warn that consuming too much protein could cause digestive issues, weight gain, gout and other adverse effects.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

A party that was irrelevant four years ago was becoming a cause célèbre.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

“She was instrumental in saving the lives of many Americans and Filipinos. By her outstanding courage and bravery, Mrs. Guerrero made a distinct contribution to the cause of freedom,” Representative Morrison states.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

“They didn’t do it for fame or fortune. They did it ‘cause to not play would have been unacceptable,” he’s told.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

George Kamel: I think I’d rather go to the mafia than to my parents, ’cause it creates a really awkward dynamic.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026

“We let it go a little bit, ’cause we thought she might be out partying,” Gonzalez later told the Star-Telegram.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026

“It’s funny, ‘cause I’ve had people recognize me, but majority of the time, their mindsets are on real estate.”

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026

I don’t know why he didn’t take those when he moved out, but I was glad they were still there, ’cause maybe that meant he might come back, right?

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

Cancer, meanwhile, continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

“If the government owns a facility whose negligence causes harm or death in the government’s custody, I don’t think you can just buy away liability.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Labor Department says she must have been covered by her employer’s group health plan, the plan must be subject to COBRA, and she must experience a qualifying event that causes her to lose coverage.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Salmonella causes similar symptoms and can be especially dangerous for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

The scientific journal Science puts Brainvox's images of the pierced skull on its cover and it causes a sensation.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Poolside’s Thursday letter referenced a failed fundraising effort in 2025 that caused a reckoning for the startup and indirectly led to the deal with Nvidia.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026

Higher Nell2 levels caused neurons to become smaller and unusually active.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

It was very likely caused by the whiplash he’s endured by tracking all of those line drives whizzing past his ear.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

Jurrien Timber, Arsenal's first-choice right-back, is also out for the opening weeks with a groin problem that caused him to pull out of the Netherlands' World Cup squad.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Leprosy—now known as Hansen’s disease—is caused by a tiny rod-shaped germ called Mycobacterium leprae that enters the body through the air and quietly stews before showing its symptoms.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

The workers have staged a total of 60 hours of strikes this year, causing estimated losses of around $1.6 billion, according to calculations by local news agency Newsis.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

This could hinder occupants or rescuers from quickly opening the doors in an emergency, such as during a "severe collision causing the vehicle's low-voltage system to fail."

From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026

It can lose its outer layers while its dense core remains comparatively unchanged, causing the amount of mass lost to decrease over successive encounters.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

The authorities had to close Greek airspace for hours, causing chaos, with a chain of cancellations and diversions to neighbouring countries.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

“I don’t know! I don’t care!” yelled Duane, causing both Handsome and Magic to raise an eyebrow.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

Related Words

• element
• explanation
• matter
• motivation
• motive
• origin
• principle
• purpose
• root
• source