cause and effect
noun
plural causes and effects
: the direct relationship between an action or event and its consequence or result
There was an accident, so traffic was at a standstill. The gravitational pull of the moon causes the tides of the ocean. I stuck to a training plan, so I finished my race strong. Cause and effect is a concept we all learn in grade school, and we see it play out in hundreds of circumstances every day.—
Ben Gibson
Ben Gibson"Human nature is to look for cause and effect," says Robert Baloh, professor of neurology and head and neck surgery at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. … "I see this daily when I see patients. They're all sure something they ate or something they did caused their problem and their symptoms."—Frank Bures
Frank Bures… focused on observable and verifiable causes and effects in the natural world …—Rafi Eis
Rafi EisExamples of cause and effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As this was an observational study, no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, the researchers noted.
—Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2025
With his framing on Medicaid, Kennedy has reversed the causes and effects of America’s health woes.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 2 July 2025
That library is the result of many lifetimes of work by Andy’s old friend Tuah (Henry Golding), who dropped out of soldiering to devote himself to documenting the immortals’ place in history — the cause and effect of their exploits that Copley traced.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2025
These models ingest and analyze signals from hundreds of sources—from ad placement and local time of day to device type, audience behaviors and contextual relevance—to identify complex patterns of cause and effect that can be used to gauge the likelihood of a conversion.
—Sergii Denysenko, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause and effect
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Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 12 July 2025
With his framing on Medicaid, Kennedy has reversed the causes and effects of America’s health woes.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 2 July 2025
That library is the result of many lifetimes of work by Andy’s old friend Tuah (Henry Golding), who dropped out of soldiering to devote himself to documenting the immortals’ place in history — the cause and effect of their exploits that Copley traced.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 2 July 2025
These models ingest and analyze signals from hundreds of sources—from ad placement and local time of day to device type, audience behaviors and contextual relevance—to identify complex patterns of cause and effect that can be used to gauge the likelihood of a conversion.
—Sergii Denysenko, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause and effect
Cite this Entry
“Cause and effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cause%20and%20effect. Accessed 14 Aug. 2025.
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