Dictionary.com

cause

[ kawz ]
/ kɔz /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: cause / caused / causes / causing on Thesaurus.com

noun
verb (used with object), caused, caus·ing.
to be the cause of; bring about.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Idioms about cause

    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.

Origin of cause

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

synonym study for cause

1. 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. 3. See reason.

OTHER WORDS FROM cause

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cause

causality, causation, cause

Other definitions for cause (2 of 2)

'cause
[ kawz, kuhz, unstressed kuhz ]
/ kɔz, kʌz, unstressed kəz /

conjunction Informal.
a shortened form of because.

Origin of 'cause

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; aphetic variant
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use cause in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cause

cause
/ (kɔːz) /

noun
verb
(tr) to be the cause of; bring about; precipitate; be the reason for

Derived forms of cause

causable, adjectivecausability, nouncauseless, adjectivecauser, noun

Word Origin for cause

C13: from Latin causa cause, reason, motive
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with cause

cause

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK