CAUSES Synonyms: 157 Similar and Opposite Words

causes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cause

as in creates

to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) the ice storm caused a massive power outage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

causes

2 of 2

noun

plural of cause

as in determinants

someone or something responsible for a result the much-debated causes of the war

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as in campaigns

a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal joined the freedom fighters' cause as a young man

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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 causes

Verb

Yet in September, Bangladesh reported a daily average of 1,198 new cases of measles, which causes a high fever, cough and telltale rash. — Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026 The organization’s focus areas are education, jobs and livelihood, and health—causes she’s cared about deeply since childhood. — Sydney Lake, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026 An April report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracked nearly 17,000 Shigella samples, which causes Shigellosis, which and can bring on diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps, collected between 2011 and 2023. — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 Plus, an infected deer tick must keep its harpoon-like feeding tube in the bloodstream for 36 to 48 hours to transmit the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. — Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 This causes the cement paint and patching compound to dry too quickly. — Tim Carter, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026 Instead, excess testosterone is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which causes the hair follicles to become smaller and then the hair strands to become thinner. — Lindsey Bever, Washington Post, 26 Sep. 2026 Bringing them to the aquarium to keep them alive likely causes great trauma to the whales after many years of being left alone. — Chicago Tribune, 26 Sep. 2026 Holden Karnofsky, an American entrepreneur and philanthropist, founded Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy), an organization that funds causes central to the EA mission, including AI and biosecurity. — Katie McQue, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026

Noun

The Hurts episode is an apt reminder of why the organization seeks to educate the public more about symptoms and causes. — Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026 Griffin’s contributions highlight the role wealthy donors play in Florida politics, where political committees can raise substantial sums to support candidates and causes. — Luisa Yanez, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026 Another friend, Wanda Love, was a longtime head of a local chamber of commerce who participated in charitable causes. — Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026 Several studies suggest Gen Z and millennial heirs are more likely to focus on systemic causes, like climate, health, human rights and international development, while boomers and Gen Xers tended to focus more on local institutions. — Robert Frank, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026 Many causes can damage the filters directly or indirectly, including immune disorders. — Md Published, Verywell Health, 23 Oct. 2026 Skerritt died Wednesday in Seattle of natural causes, his family announced. — Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026 Much like Parton, Judd lets her actions speak louder than her words, and one of the causes closest to her heart is helping military service members. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 The government, however, has maintained that the ban on the group does not prevent lawful protests in support of pro-Palestinian causes. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 15 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for causes

Verb

To see how this spread creates randomness throughout the world, consider an ordinary coin-flip experiment again.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026
The Republican president signed an executive order that creates a new women’s health division at the National Institutes of Health and a White House task force to focus on the issue.

— Bill Barrow, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of creates

Noun

Many of those outcomes can be attributed to social determinants of health, like affordability, care access and transportation.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 Sep. 2026
Katie Garfield, who studies social determinants of health at Harvard Law School's Center for Health Law and Policy Innovation, said the lack of federal guidance is stirring uncertainty for states that want to pursue nutrition programs in Medicaid.

— Priyanka D McCluskey, NPR, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of determinants

Noun

Two Sacramento-area congressional candidates have poured record amounts of personal money to fund their campaigns.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacbee.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Forward Majority’s ask for a final $2-5 million to avoid being outspent came after Republican donors to the party’s other PACs funded the key GOP state legislative campaigns.

— David Weigel, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of campaigns

Verb

This process, which generates perfectly crystalline silicon ingots to be sliced like fragile metallic salamis into thin wafers, is entrusted largely to one firm in Taiwan and two in Japan.

— Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
Boasting about 24 flagships across countries, Ecoalf generates about 30 percent of its revenues from retail and 24 percent from e-commerce.

— Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of generates

Noun

Among their reasons for concern is Ohio’s poor track record when women are on the ballot.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 19 Oct. 2026
These tools are primarily used by those who make less than $50,000 according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office report, with food and rent being the key reasons people use the service, one case study of food and restaurant workers found.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of reasons

Noun

Two months of virtual-production exploration before filming also allowed Fraser and the directors to test lighting, camera movements and the scale of spacecraft interiors.

— Davide Abbatescianni, Variety, 18 Oct. 2026
Participants’ movements, facial expressions and vocal reactions (along with a little interpretation from accompanying parents) suggested a clear winner.

— Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of movements

Verb

Silverstein said the deal helps the other tenants too, because a Spirit brings shoppers to a shopping center that would otherwise have a dark storefront.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
The most sobering reality check on Beirut City Pop brings the conflict into stark relief.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026