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
Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Weak adductors can cause balance and lower-body coordination issues.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
The leading causes of death included suicide, diabetes, kidney disease, and unintentional injury.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Verb
He was adopted two weeks later, but after 18 months in his home, Scoob developed a painful skin condition that caused his ears to bleed and left him extremely irritable.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Weak adductors can cause balance and lower-body coordination issues.
—Dana Santas, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
Noun
The report also wants a closer look at the effects of electromagnetic radiation, the microbiome, and the root causes of autism.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 10 Sep. 2025
The leading causes of death included suicide, diabetes, kidney disease, and unintentional injury.
—Pien Huang, NPR, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cause
Verb
-
When interviewed by officers, Burns admitted to creating multiple social media accounts to distribute and receive child pornography, including files of prepubescent children, the release states.—
NWA Democrat-Gazette,
Arkansas Online,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
In many cases, the two reasons amount to the same thing, with the same cause.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The second reason is that these aura battler designs were very complex and full of curves as well as weird angles.—
Ollie Barder,
Forbes.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Yet, Bilkie said, short-term market movements, like the decline in April, can serve as a reminder to review and rebalance portfolios.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Standing 9 metres tall, Dunamis evokes transformation and upward motion, while Danse Gwenedour celebrates myth, movement, and cultural fluidity.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The West Virginia native became the face of female boxing in the mid-1990s, covering Sports Illustrated and helping to bring attention and legitimacy to the sport.—
Esther Zuckerman,
Time,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The Chiefs brought a lot of blitzes.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Many infectious diseases are lethal only for the poor; they are layered atop comorbidities and chronic conditions produced by social and commercial determinants of health.—
Stan Chu Ilo,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
-
However, FQHCs excel in community trust, long-term patient engagement and navigating complex social determinants of health.—
Dr. Ara J. Baghdasarian,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
The show was attended by several stars in the Calvin Klein family, including Bad Bunny — whose underwear campaign dropped just a month later — Christy Turlington, Kate Moss and more.—
Hedy Phillips,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Russia continued its own long-range strike campaign on Ukraine, with the air force in Kyiv reporting 84 drones launched into the country overnight into Tuesday.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This article was generated by the Bay Area Home Report Bot, software that analyzes home sales or other data and creates an article based on a template created by humans.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
10 Sep. 2025
-
According to the paper, the vertical structure allows panels in the upper canopy to generate power while permitting sufficient light to reach the understory vegetation.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
What economists—and the Fed—really need to know, is the causation.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Nobody wants to be in the chain of causation, for lack of a better term.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cause. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share