Jump To:

• 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.

---

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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

His case became a cause célèbre among fans and online content creators.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

“However, high oil prices could quickly unwind if there is a deal between the U.S. and Iran. This could also cause a recovery in bonds and a drop in yields.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

Mr. Rushdie says he never imagined the book would cause so much trouble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

Baker claimed Winchell was sitting at a nearby table and refused to come to her aid, causing a flurry of support for her cause.

From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026

I know the suffragettes have made use of the Hello Girls’ service for their own cause.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

“We’re very high on quality, and we’re high on authenticity. Music was always the main goal, and that’s why we chose Daptone; we’re on the same page about that, ‘cause music is a vibration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

Cosgrove is hopeful that with winter around the corner, relief is on the way: "Eventually they do stop 'cause it gets too cold and wet."

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

“The stealing has gone down, ’cause they’re with their parents.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 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

“Not bad,” I say, trying not to be scared ’cause there’s a freaking bear right in front of me.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

“Just because I choose not to speak publicly, it doesn’t mean I don’t have them, and it doesn’t mean I don’t care. Nor does it mean I don’t support causes in my own, personal way.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

The team found DNA from Yersinia pestis - the bacterium that causes plague - in 18 of the 46 people tested.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 15, 2026

A spokesperson said the causes of death will be determined in due course.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“It adds to the uncertainty, which is what causes the volatility and the average decline in the market leading up to the election,” Stovall told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

Patrice is back on-screen, talking about how racism causes anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

That caused some initial shock after Warsh’s press conference, but stocks are set for healthy gains this morning and long-term bonds are catching a bid too.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

It’s an argument that is easy to defend, though of course the resurfacing of these tweets has caused its own firestorm.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

"We need immigration to soften enough that housing has a chance to catch up," he said, while stressing the housing shortage was not caused by migrants.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Human persecution had caused the bird's extinction, with the last pair breeding in southern England in 1780.

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026

Today we are used to seeing the microscopic world, but when the microscope was invented in the middle of the seventeenth century, it caused a sensation.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

That alarm would be triggered by a potential engine failure, causing low propeller rotation, or a problem with the hydraulic system, said Jack Cress, a former helicopter pilot for the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

The deal was paid in large part by funding from insurance companies they owned with Guggenheim, causing controversy but also igniting a wave of interest from private-equity firms to tap in to sports cash flows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday said "no stone will be left unturned" to solve the killings, acknowledging "these incidents are causing fear and uncertainty in our communities, and especially among women".

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

From the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh to the streets of the country's biggest cities, a common menace is causing irritation, alarm and in some cases even death.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Ninety-six aftershocks shook the island on the 13th, causing more damage and anxiety.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

Related Words

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