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

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 The problem at the heart of their story is that childhood eventually ends, and that causes a rift between the young women. — Parents, 25 Sep. 2026 At night, the fibromyalgia causes Lukas to wake up crying from muscle aches. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026

Noun

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 Suicide is one of the biggest causes of death of young men under 50 globally. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 15 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 At least two other solicitor generals in Georgia, including in Fulton County, have similar programs allowing people facing minor offenses to donate to charitable causes as a form of community service. — Reed Williams, AJC.com, 15 Oct. 2026 The active ingredients neutralize the causes of odor, with full effect within 24 hours. — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026 The viral bald eagle known as Jackie, who lived in California's Big Bear Valley, died of multiple causes, according to a new necropsy report. — ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026 But this assessment mistakes the consequences of domination for its causes. — Mansoor Moaddel, Foreign Affairs, 15 Oct. 2026 Supplements Can Add to the Problem Magnesium supplements and magnesium-containing medications are more common causes of hypermagnesemia. — Md Published, Verywell Health, 14 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for causes

Verb

Kolbe’s distinctive use of language brings to life this period’s wonders and difficulties, and her maximalist approach to metaphor creates many energetic images.

— The New Yorker, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
That, in turn, creates incentives to manage the firm carefully with an eye toward long-term survival.

— Naomi Cahn, The Conversation, 12 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

Trump never lost Alaska, Ohio, Texas, or Kansas in any of his presidential campaigns.

— Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
In her new role, Jenner will continue overseeing Fwrd’s digital creative direction, including designer selections, monthly trend edits and major marketing campaigns.

— Ryma Chikhoune, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of campaigns

Verb

Haider and colleagues, reviewing hair transplant tourism for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in 2025, estimated that the Turkish market alone generates around one billion US dollars a year.

— William Jones, Miami Herald, 12 Oct. 2026
Radialc ontent generates approximately 5 billion streaming hours annually.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of generates

Noun

Steve Sarkisian will not budge on this issue One of the primary reasons Manning chose to attend Texas was Sarkisian.

— Mac Engel October 10, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Oct. 2026
Palestinian officials cited conditions in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem as reasons for postponing the vote.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of reasons

Noun

Under the White House pool system, the networks -- ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC -- rotate responsibilities for gathering and distributing footage of the president's daily movements.

— Miriam Waldvogel, Arkansas Online, 12 Oct. 2026
Rather than relying solely on better control software, the team is investigating whether designing the robot’s mass, inertia, and force characteristics differently can make complex movements easier to achieve.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of movements

Verb

Different Monsters Require Different Minds That brings us to today.

— Jeff DeGraff, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026
For property owners who poured their life savings into Camelot, the arrival of heavy machinery brings mounting anger over how local authorities handled the complex's long, troubled decline.

— La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026