1
as in ascribing
to explain (something) as being the result of something else
attributed the quick rescue to the well-trained police force
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in explaining
to give the reason for or cause of
a psychotherapist who's a little too quick to attribute every emotional problem or character defect to an unhappy childhood
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of attributing
Those investments have already begun to pay off, as Walmart reported a 26 percent growth in e-commerce sales in the second quarter of 2025, attributing the gains in part to faster delivery speeds.
—
Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 6 Oct. 2025
But with officials attributing nearly 90% of waterway pollution to encampments, the city also had to reduce the impacts from the unhoused population as part of its permit, which proved a costly endeavor last year.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Cinema sometimes has to know how to give in to a cause, but another thing entirely is to impoverish cinema by attributing to documentary cinema a mere and strict role of denunciation.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
The family expressed gratitude for worldwide support, including prayers from Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo XIV, while attributing her survival to divine intervention.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2025
The person who killed 51 people at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, left behind writings that mixed political ideologies with memes and jokes attributing his radicalization to child video games.
—Ben Goggin, NBC news, 12 Sep. 2025
The time to prepare for AI agents is now, and CISOs can start by establishing AI observability capable of tracking, auditing and attributing agentic behaviors across environments.
—Josh Lemos, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Kentucky reported at least 1,223 work zone crashes in 2024, with officials attributing seven deaths and 298 injuries to those crashes.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Sure, Ghost has his creative license to put that in a skit without anyone attributing it directly to him, but the skit was funny without joking about spousal abuse.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 6 Oct. 2025
But with officials attributing nearly 90% of waterway pollution to encampments, the city also had to reduce the impacts from the unhoused population as part of its permit, which proved a costly endeavor last year.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
Cinema sometimes has to know how to give in to a cause, but another thing entirely is to impoverish cinema by attributing to documentary cinema a mere and strict role of denunciation.
—Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 25 Sep. 2025
The family expressed gratitude for worldwide support, including prayers from Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew and Pope Leo XIV, while attributing her survival to divine intervention.
—Doc Louallen, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2025
The person who killed 51 people at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, left behind writings that mixed political ideologies with memes and jokes attributing his radicalization to child video games.
—Ben Goggin, NBC news, 12 Sep. 2025
The time to prepare for AI agents is now, and CISOs can start by establishing AI observability capable of tracking, auditing and attributing agentic behaviors across environments.
—Josh Lemos, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Kentucky reported at least 1,223 work zone crashes in 2024, with officials attributing seven deaths and 298 injuries to those crashes.
—Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Sure, Ghost has his creative license to put that in a skit without anyone attributing it directly to him, but the skit was funny without joking about spousal abuse.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attributing
Verb
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Poor luck plagued him, but ascribing all of this outing to misfortune is misguided.—
Chandler Rome,
New York Times,
7 Aug. 2025
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Over subsequent decades, this credo would face challenges, including from New Deal–era progressives wary of rich men ascribing to charity what was properly the realm of the state and of McCarthyite conservatives targeting philanthropic foundations as part of anticommunist fearmongering.—
Mark Malloch-Brown,
Foreign Affairs,
15 Jan. 2024
Verb
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The National Immigration Law Center recently published a guide explaining some of the potential risks of using the app, such as leaving the country without closing an immigration court case and becoming ineligible for a future visa.—
Melissa Sanchez,
ProPublica,
10 Oct. 2025
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Sometimes explaining one’s affinity for a specific Pokémon is difficult; since Satoshi Tajiri has been dreaming up these pet-warrior-oddballs, many have historically had a certain je ne sais quoi.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman said Garland has looked physically stronger, crediting his focus on weight training and patience throughout the recovery.—
Evan Dammarell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
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Yet, while critics dismiss him as more hype than insight, investors Fortune spoke with see him differently, crediting his essays and early portfolio bets with unusual foresight.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Another important factor is whether a court is convinced that an employee’s speech about Kirk was serious enough to disrupt a college’s operations, thus justifying the employee’s firing.—
Jeffrey C. Sun,
The Conversation,
14 Oct. 2025
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The survey also found that 30% of finance leaders in the early stages of AI adoption struggle with justifying ROI, compared with 21% of those further along the AI journey, or AI leaders.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Attributing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attributing. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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