attributing

verb

present participle of attribute
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

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 attributing But if our estimates stand, our figure is substantially lower than some more sensational reports, which may not be correct in attributing bigger hikes in electric bills to data centers. — Daniel Yue, Fortune, 14 July 2026 However, some have cautioned against attributing the decline solely to the vaccine. — ABC News, 14 July 2026 PennDOT is attributing that to the Big Boy train and the thousands of people who wanted to see it. — Chris Hoffman, CBS News, 13 July 2026 But if our estimates stand, our figure is substantially lower than some more sensational reports, which may not be correct in attributing bigger hikes in electric bills to data centers. — Daniel Yue, The Conversation, 10 July 2026 Gartner warns over 40% of agentic AI projects will fail by 2027, attributing cancellations to management issues, not model capabilities. — Robert J. Szczerba, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 Behar laughed off her wobbly appearance, attributing it to her latest wellness treatment. — Charlie Carballo, USA Today, 7 July 2026 Initially, it was reported by the BBC that Harry was to stay at Buckingham Palace, attributing that report to his spokesman. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 6 July 2026 For offensive players, attributing this Goal Contribution to the players involved in the event is pretty uncomplicated. — Ethan Douglas, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attributing
  1. ascribing
  2. explaining
  3. crediting
  4. justifying
Verb
  • The group immediate drew praise on social media for not ascribing the cancellation to anything beyond the most obvious factors.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 4 May 2026
  • Wednesday’s verdict in Los Angeles on the ninth day of jury deliberations shows the difficulty of ascribing how much social media is to blame for youths suffering varying degrees of distress.
    — Bloomberg, Bloomberg, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of ascribing
Verb
  • Carpino retired in April, without ever explaining what was not right in the organization or, based on the standings, repairing it.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The traditional experience requires waiting on hold, explaining the situation and hoping an agent can help.
    — Shep Hyken, Forbes.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • The deal would approve an initial cash sale of the arena parcel to OAC, which would result in the city receiving $50 million by early next year, while the stadium parcel will be sold for $60 million, crediting a $5 million deposit held by the city.
    — Tim Fang, CBS News, 13 July 2026
  • All told, no soccer player has been more visible during this World Cup than Beckham, with iSpot crediting him for 238 appearances in the breaks thus far.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of crediting
Verb
  • Kennedy made the changes unilaterally rather than going through a panel of experts, as has long been standard, and Spear wrote the accompanying report justifying the changes, according to three people familiar with the process.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • These figures are considerable for a hardware enterprise, justifying a high valuation.
    — Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of justifying

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attributing
attribution
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Cite this Entry

“Attributing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attributing. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of attributing for Spanish Speakers

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