common cause

Idioms  

1. A joint interest, as in “The common cause against the enemies of piety” (from John Dryden's poem, Religio laici, or a Layman's Faith, 1682). This term originated as to make common cause (with), meaning “to unite one's interest with another's.” In the mid-1900s the name Common Cause was adopted by a liberal lobbying group.

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Example Sentences

Pregnancy - like Rose had just experienced - is a common cause.

From BBC

At four years old, she was killed by electrocution, an all too common cause of death for large birds of prey.

From Science Daily

At times it seems that the two, as mothers, might be about to make some interesting connection, even common cause, but they are driven apart by mutual antipathy and the fact that each will be guilty of some awful stuff against the other.

From Los Angeles Times

“It’s hard to ignore when legislation is drafted in a narrowly tailored way — especially when such language appears late in the process with little public input,” said Sean McMorris of good government group California Common Cause.

From Los Angeles Times

The drugmaker said the Food and Drug Administration had approved Eylea HD for the treatment of patients with macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, a common cause of vision impairment in adults.

From Barron's