cause 1 of 2

verb

Definition of causenext
as in to create
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) the ice storm caused a massive power outage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

cause

2 of 2

noun

ˈkȯz How to pronounce cause (audio)
1
as in reason
someone or something responsible for a result the much-debated causes of the war

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in movement
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal joined the freedom fighters' cause as a young man

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cause
Verb
Flames engulfed the 19th-century City Hall in the city of Limoges, in central France, causing its roof to collapse and nearly destroying the building. — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026 The researchers also reported that giving testosterone after injury reduced the excessive cardiovascular reactivity caused by traumatic brain injury in their model. — Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
Noun
Canadian military officials said there were no indications of terrorism, though the cause remained under investigation. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 The cause of the explosion is under investigation, military officials said. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for cause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cause
  1. create
  2. reason
  3. movement
  4. bring
  5. determinant
  6. campaign
  7. generate
  8. causation
Verb
  • For a government overseeing a population dominated by mobile expats, that created a lot of uncertainty in terms of establishing an economic base that can support a welfare system and basic state infrastructure.
    — Mia Osmonbekov, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The working group of administrators and Greek life representatives created action plans for each chapter to resume operations in fall 2018 based on a blind review of their previous four years.
    — Brittany Shammas, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of create
Noun
  • All the more reason for leaders to play the generosity sweepstakes in ways that are advantageous to them.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • For that reason, Everett’s proposal is known as the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.
    — Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of reason
Noun
  • In contrast to other Gulf monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar sees no threat in the Muslim Brotherhood, the political movement that spawned Hamas.
    — Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Additional investments in chemical processing, fairing preparation, tooling, and storage will support the movement of hardware through the manufacturing process.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of movement
Verb
  • Creality's approach is rather different, swapping smaller nozzle assemblies instead of complete print heads, and potentially bringing the benefits of multi-nozzle printing to a more affordable machine.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2026
  • For the Bills fans, the store opening is bringing a slice of home and Upstate New York.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of bring
Noun
  • Use Multiple Data Points Wealth indicators provide a partial snapshot of an individual’s financial position and should not be the sole determinant of a donor’s capacity to make a significant gift.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Many of those outcomes can be attributed to social determinants of health, like affordability, care access and transportation.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of determinant
Noun
  • Democrats have sought to amplify the abuse claims against Miller in six-figure television campaigns.
    — Lara Korte The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The committee poured millions into TV ads and social media influencer campaigns, and gave millions to the Republican Party of Florida, which also spent heavily on its own anti-Amendment 3 TV spots.
    — Christopher Spata, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of campaign
Verb
  • The ability for anyone to generate strategy, code, or creative work in seconds effectively filled in the moats built on blitzscaling overnight.
    — Matt Alt, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Its streaming app hosts short-form true crime audio and video shows that are fully AI-generated.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of generate
Noun
  • Both lines of work are early, unanswered questions remain, and neither establishes causation yet.
    — Holly Baines, STAT, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Observational data can show correlation — that people taking GLP-1s were perhaps more likely to have this eye complication occur — but not causation.
    — Yuki Noguchi, NPR, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of causation

Phrases Containing cause

Browse Nearby Words

causations
cause
cause célèbre
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Cite this Entry

“Cause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cause. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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