as in creates
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 determinants
someone or something responsible for a result
the much-debated causes of the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in campaigns
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
joined the freedom fighters' cause as a young man
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of causes
David Phelan, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Then, raising the temperature to 700° C causes the aluminum trifluoride to react with water, leaving behind aluminum oxide and releasing yet more hydrogen fluoride.
—ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026
That disorder causes iron to build up in vital organs, leading to liver disease, lowered immunity and other complications, officials said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
This toxic alkaloid causes severe GI problems, along with respiratory failure, central nervous system symptoms, liver and kidney damage and even death.
—Amy Deyoung, USA Today, 28 May 2026
The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
Combining the televote with the jury votes causes countries to suddenly surge or plummet in the final rankings.
—Glen Weldon, NPR, 14 May 2026
What causes high humidity in a house?
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
Warming your feet causes blood vessels to dilate, which pulls heat away from your core.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2026
Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
This controversial topic has yet received little attention theoretically and empirically, but marketers and policy makers are confronted by the need to deal with its causes and consequences.
—Ezgi Eyüboğlu, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May 2026
The majority of them were from natural causes and experts say many would have been preventable with timely medical care.
—CBS News, 27 May 2026
Storm’s death was due to natural causes, as confirmed to Variety by his publicist.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 27 May 2026
Howard Storm’s son, Anthony Storm, told The Hollywood Reporter that his father died on Tuesday of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Charles Cioffi, a prolific character actor in TV, film and the Broadway stage perhaps best known for memorable turns as Tom Cruise’s blue-collar dad in All the Right Moves and a sadistic killer stalking Jane Fonda in Klute, died May 22 of natural causes at his home in Marina del Rey, California.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 May 2026
Dave May, a two-time Grammy-winning producer and longtime vp at Warner Records and Rhino Entertainment, died April 13 in Nashville of natural causes.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
The majority of those deaths were from natural causes and experts say many of them would have been preventable with timely medical care.
—Ryan J. Foley, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Verb
Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference often causes a buzz, but this is a key year, with expectations high that the all-new Siri upgrade will be revealed.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Then, raising the temperature to 700° C causes the aluminum trifluoride to react with water, leaving behind aluminum oxide and releasing yet more hydrogen fluoride.
—ArsTechnica, 28 May 2026
That disorder causes iron to build up in vital organs, leading to liver disease, lowered immunity and other complications, officials said.
—Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
This toxic alkaloid causes severe GI problems, along with respiratory failure, central nervous system symptoms, liver and kidney damage and even death.
—Amy Deyoung, USA Today, 28 May 2026
The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.
—Nc Weather Bot, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2026
Combining the televote with the jury votes causes countries to suddenly surge or plummet in the final rankings.
—Glen Weldon, NPR, 14 May 2026
What causes high humidity in a house?
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 13 May 2026
Warming your feet causes blood vessels to dilate, which pulls heat away from your core.
—Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 13 May 2026
Noun
Such mergers of different sources of resentment were among the major causes for war in 1914.
—Literary Hub, 27 May 2026
This controversial topic has yet received little attention theoretically and empirically, but marketers and policy makers are confronted by the need to deal with its causes and consequences.
—Ezgi Eyüboğlu, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 May 2026
The majority of them were from natural causes and experts say many would have been preventable with timely medical care.
—CBS News, 27 May 2026
Storm’s death was due to natural causes, as confirmed to Variety by his publicist.
—Matt Minton, Variety, 27 May 2026
Howard Storm’s son, Anthony Storm, told The Hollywood Reporter that his father died on Tuesday of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
Charles Cioffi, a prolific character actor in TV, film and the Broadway stage perhaps best known for memorable turns as Tom Cruise’s blue-collar dad in All the Right Moves and a sadistic killer stalking Jane Fonda in Klute, died May 22 of natural causes at his home in Marina del Rey, California.
—Greg Evans, Deadline, 27 May 2026
Dave May, a two-time Grammy-winning producer and longtime vp at Warner Records and Rhino Entertainment, died April 13 in Nashville of natural causes.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2026
The majority of those deaths were from natural causes and experts say many of them would have been preventable with timely medical care.
—Ryan J. Foley, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for causes
Verb
-
The soft green tones subtly pull in the olive pillows across my bed, while the abstract landscape design creates a calming, serene vibe that still feels neutral enough to work long term.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
25 May 2026
-
Applying his insight to the mosaic of American democracy creates a gestalt in which the whole of all our distinct viewpoints is greater than the mere sum of everyone’s perspective in isolation.—
Steven D. Reske,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
In my own research on Ebola, SARS and MERS, my colleagues and I have shown that the speed at which infected people are identified and removed from the community is one of the strongest determinants of outbreak size.—
John Drake,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
-
Some count ratings or awards as determinants of quality, while count changes to policy and laws or special commissions of inquiry.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The charter association’s political arm has not mounted campaigns in support of anyone.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
Wilson has had his most productive Premier League season by some distance, scoring 10 goals – compared to 12 across three previous top-flight campaigns with Fulham combined — and some of them have been superb, too.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
Bitcoin’s implementation uses a specific elliptic curve called secp256k1, a mathematical structure that generates public-private key pairs.—
Sandy Peng,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
-
Tourism generates more than $40 million in hotel taxes a year, and some of that money could be spent on museums.—
James Taylor,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
But at least initially there were other reasons too.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
Giannis on the trading block and LeBron an unrestricted free agent are the two players atop the league’s offseason marquee, and the latest reasons why NBA offseasons are usually the most interesting in sports.—
Greg Cote
May 25,
Miami Herald,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
If walking was not an option, arm movements really do count.—
Kara Alaimo,
CNN Money,
25 May 2026
-
What happens to these sorts of movements throughout history when that kind of magnetic leader dies or leaves the scene?—
Sean Woods,
Rolling Stone,
25 May 2026
Verb
-
The massive delta is revered not only for its capacious water supply and agricultural support, but also its famed Delta breeze that often brings relief from stretches of hot weather.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
29 May 2026
-
Netflix's 'Ransom Canyon' brings romance to Texas Similar shows are moving into the Texas turf.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Goldie, like Bucephalus, seized the bit and galloped into the intoxicating world of knowing, of finding out, of discovering reasons and causations.—
Annie Proulx,
New Yorker,
10 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Causes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/causes. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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