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
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
Zach Harper, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The agriculture secretary, however, said tariffs would cause short-term uncertainty.
—Tom Polansek and Leah Douglas, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Unsafe sleep practices are some of the leading causes of infant deaths — a tragic reality that is preventable with education.
—Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, Sun Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Verb
Initial thought for the Pistons: Their physicality has caused a lot of kerfuffles, and this could set a fun tone for the series.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
The agriculture secretary, however, said tariffs would cause short-term uncertainty.
—Tom Polansek and Leah Douglas, USA Today, 4 Apr. 2025
Noun
The root cause of these moves is not immediately clear and elevated yields may not persist as volatility continues.
—Simon Moore, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Unsafe sleep practices are some of the leading causes of infant deaths — a tragic reality that is preventable with education.
—Cindy Arenberg Seltzer, Sun Sentinel, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cause
Verb
-
Legal scholars have said there is little legal precedent for Trump's war on Big Law, which has created a chilling effect across the legal community, and most will certainly have a chilling effect on his opponents who will need legal representation against him.—
Alexander Mallin,
ABC News,
29 Mar. 2025
-
The project is also intended to contribute to maintaining existing forests and creating new ones.—
Noël Fletcher,
Forbes.com,
29 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The reason for the independence, the Brookings Institution explains, is that politicians tend to want lower interest rates because lower rates stimulate the economy.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
-
The reason for the increase in the Tigers’ team score came after a review of Mizzou’s third rotation — balance beam.—
Henry Chappell,
Kansas City Star,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
For instance, people often mistake a dog’s wagging tail as a sign of happiness, but the American Kennel Club suggests that the wagging movement only indicates that the dog is emotionally aroused.—
Karissa Waddick,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Comment In the semi-twilight of tech rehearsal at the cavernous Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center, Tina Landau is scrutinizing the movement of lanterns.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
18 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Billionaire Trump backer: Wait 90 days before bringing 'hammer down' on China Billionaire investor Bill Ackman, a Trump supporter now at odds with the president over tariffs, called April 13 for a three-month pause on China.—
John Bacon,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Officially launched at the end of the year, the collection brings Louboutin’s signature design codes to life in eyewear form—think bold architectural lines, sensual curves, and unmistakable touches of red.—
Mecca Pryor,
Essence,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Pharmaceutical and medical device monitoring, cancer screenings, immunizations, smoking cessation, mental health, drug abuse, social determinants of health, cybersecurity and reproductive rights will all suffer significant and deadly setbacks.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2025
-
These somewhat redundant three layers of determinants robustly channel a trajectory of predictable behavior.—
Benjamin Voyer,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Financial turmoil has both Trump and Powell under duress Trump’s tariff campaign, announced earlier this month, continues to rattle global financial markets.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA Today,
21 Apr. 2025
-
And this is part of that process in keeping that campaign promise.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
20 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Disney and Lucasfilm have trumpeted Star Wars franchise news at the Tokyo event in an effort to generate strong buzz for upcoming TV, film and gaming releases.—
William Earl,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2025
-
The way to make this all possible, Democrats say, is by loosening the fiscal guardrails that were created on a bipartisan basis in 2017 and have allowed the state to generate continuous surpluses during Lamont’s tenure.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The Heritage report attempts to cast doubt on the validity of decades of science by, in part, arguing that studies linking air pollution to health effects fail to prove causation, because they’re not randomized or controlled.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Correlation isn’t causation, but the incidence of seasonal allergies stands at 25% for adults, compared with 10% of all Americans in 1970, according to the U.S. Global Change Research Program.—
Mark Gongloff,
Mercury News,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cause. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share