View synonyms for cause

cause

[ kawz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

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:
You have been the cause of much anxiety.
What was the cause of the accident?
the reason or motive for some human action:
The good news was a cause for rejoicing.
good or sufficient reason:
to complain without cause;
to be dismissed for cause.
Law.
1. a ground of legal action; the matter over which a person goes to law.
2. a case for judicial decision.
any subject of discussion or debate.
a principle, ideal, goal, or movement to which a person or group is dedicated:
the Socialist cause;
the human rights cause.
the welfare of a person or group, seen as a subject of concern:
support for the cause of the American Indian.
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)

, caused, caus·ing.

to be the cause of; bring about.
Synonyms: produce, create, make, effect

'cause

[ kawz, kuhz, unstressed kuhz ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

conjunction

, Informal.

a shortened form of because.

cause

/ kɔːz /

noun

a person, thing, event, state, or action that produces an effect
grounds for action; motive; justification
she had good cause to shout like that
the ideals, etc, of a group or movement
the Communist cause
the welfare or interests of a person or group in a dispute
they fought for the miners' cause
a matter of widespread concern or importance
the cause of public health
1. a ground for legal action; matter giving rise to a lawsuit
2. the lawsuit itself
(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)
make common cause with
to join with (a person, group, etc) for a common objective

verb

tr to be the cause of; bring about; precipitate; be the reason for

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Derived Forms

ˈcauseless, adjective
ˈcauser, noun
ˌcausaˈbility, noun
ˈcausable, adjective

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Other Words From

causa·ble adjective
causa·bili·ty noun
causeless adjective
causeless·ly adverb
causeless·ness noun
causer noun
non·causa·ble adjective
self-caused adjective
subcause noun
un·causa·ble adjective
under·cause noun

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Word History and Origins

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

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Word History and Origins

Origin of cause¹

C13: from Latin causa cause, reason, motive

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

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.

More idioms and phrases containing cause

lost cause

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Synonym Study

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.

Related Words

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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