cause-and-effect
Americanadjective
Usage
What does cause-and-effect mean? Cause-and-effect describes a relationship between actions or events in which at least one action or event is a direct result of the others. Let’s say that you slam your toe into a desk and then yell in pain. Slamming your toe (the first action) hurts, so you yell (the second action). The first action is the cause of the second action, that is, the effect. A cause is a source or producer of effects. An effect is the result or consequence of a cause. The two actions have a cause-and-effect relationship. A cause-and-effect relationship can have multiple causes and one effect, as when you stay up all night and skip breakfast (the causes), you will likely find yourself cranky (the effect). A cause-and-effect relationship can also have one cause but many effects, as when staying up all night (the cause) makes you both cranky and tired (the effects). And, of course, a cause-and-effect relationship can have multiple causes and multiple effects, as when skipping classes and not studying (the causes) result in you not understanding the material and failing the class (the effects).
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“The Beauty” is baffling at first, and baffling later—the whole cause-and-effect angle regarding the virus/treatment is almost impossible to explain, which means it’s overly obscure and thus mishandled.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026
Because this was an observational study, the authors emphasize that it cannot establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship.
From Science Daily • Dec. 4, 2025
To try and shed light on the cause-and-effect relationship, Australian researchers are recruiting 13- to 16-year-olds for a "Connected Minds Study" to assess how the ban affects their wellbeing.
From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025
The observational study did not prove causation, or a direct cause-and-effect relationship, but could only link associations between music and lower dementia risks, Jaffa said.
From MarketWatch • Nov. 5, 2025
In the second blooper, the problem does not lie in the relationship between clauses— it’s cause-and-effect in both interpretations—but in exactly what causes what.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
