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.
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Recent Examples of cause
Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
The law school professor likened this potential scenario to a parent paying for their 17-year-old boy causing damage by egging a house on Halloween night.
—Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
Whitney Friedlander, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
Further, falls are the primary cause of injury in adults aged 65 and older — and many of them happen when no one else is around.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Verb
Heavy rains have caused rivers to overflow, washing away entire communities, and have triggered landslides.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
The law school professor likened this potential scenario to a parent paying for their 17-year-old boy causing damage by egging a house on Halloween night.
—Gary Grumbach, NBC news, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
Ono, whose upbringing was much more cultured, has more trepidations about agreeing to appear at every protest and support every cause.
—Whitney Friedlander, Variety, 5 Nov. 2025
Further, falls are the primary cause of injury in adults aged 65 and older — and many of them happen when no one else is around.
—Alexa Mikhail, Flow Space, 5 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cause
Verb
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The species has an adhesive plate on its head that helps to create a kind of vacuum seal, allowing the fish to grab a whale and hang on for the ride.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
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Denver International Airport is working to fill in the gap, creating a food pantry for its federal employees and asking the FAA for permission to use the airport's revenue to pay for controllers' wages.—
JOSH FUNK,
Arkansas Online,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Part of the reason why there are so few of these conversations about podcasting is a general lack of criticism for narrative audio.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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What's really behind the baby bust The reasons Americans choose not to have children are hotly debated in academic circles, with many attributing America’s baby bust to shifting priorities and societal norms.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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As the anti-India movement in the Maldives gained momentum, China exploited the United States’ absence, rapidly expanding its regional footprint by easing the tremendous debt the island country owed China.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
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Alcaraz’s movement and defense are basically peerless, but Fritz matched him — almost.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The wins over Villa and Madrid were achieved with Andy Robertson restored at left-back, at the expense of new signing Milos Kerkez, and with Dominik Szoboszlai bringing more balance and physical presence by reprising last season’s advanced-midfield role.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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The discovery pipeline is reinforced by EFP’s Future Frames — in partnership with Karlovy Vary and spun out to Hamburg and Seville — bringing young helmers into the SEFF ecosystem with shorts spotlights and talent meetings.—
Emiliano De Pablos,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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While voting in national and local elections has already been recognized as a social determinant of health—with voters generally thought to have better health profiles than non-voters—the link between electoral participation and death has not been established.—
Hannah Millington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Nov. 2025
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In The Bell Curve, Murray and Herrnstein argue that intelligence, as measured by an IQ score, is a crucial determinant of success in modern society.—
Eric Turkheimer,
The Atlantic,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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In the three months since the Pentagon deployed warships and aircraft in a campaign that the White House said was aimed at drug traffickers from Venezuela, the bolivar has depreciated around 70% against the US dollar, according to data from the central bank, hemorrhaging one point every day.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
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President Bill Clinton pardoned Mark Rich, a former hedge-fund manager whose ex-wife had donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Democratic National Committee, the Clinton Presidential Library and Hillary Clinton's New York Senate campaign.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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For example, when a manager gives feedback to a team member, Cisco's learning platform will combine that feedback with other data points, such as the employee's skills profile, to generate personalized learning recommendations.—
Kelly Jones,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Mamdani’s plan to raise city income taxes by 2% on millionaires and shift property taxes toward the wealthiest, whitest, and most under-taxed neighborhoods could generate $4 billion a year to fund affordable housing.—
Fahad Zuberi,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The researchers say future studies will explore direct causation, dig into the biological reasons behind it and broaden the findings across diverse populations.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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Ultimately, correlation does not necessarily mean causation, and Villarroel and Bruehl do acknowledge this in their study.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cause. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
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