cause and effect
noun
plural causes and effects
: the direct relationship between an action or event and its consequence or result
There was an accident, so traffic was at a standstill. The gravitational pull of the moon causes the tides of the ocean. I stuck to a training plan, so I finished my race strong. Cause and effect is a concept we all learn in grade school, and we see it play out in hundreds of circumstances every day.—
Ben Gibson
Ben Gibson"Human nature is to look for cause and effect," says Robert Baloh, professor of neurology and head and neck surgery at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. … "I see this daily when I see patients. They're all sure something they ate or something they did caused their problem and their symptoms."—Frank Bures
Frank Bures… focused on observable and verifiable causes and effects in the natural world …—Rafi Eis
Rafi EisExamples of cause and effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But after living through the war firsthand, one artist came to the conclusion that the cause and effect should be flipped.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
The study design could not demonstrate cause and effect, however, but only correlation.
—Blake Murdoch, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2024
In the 1930s, internationalists in the U.S. Treasury Department saw a powerful cause and effect and were determined to resolve the flaws in the international economic system once and for all.
—Benn Steil, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2013
Most of the questions, however, have centered on the shortcomings in Washington’s response to the crisis, rather than the causes and effects of the Benghazi attack itself.
—Ethan Chorin, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2016
See all Example Sentences for cause and effect 
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Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 25 Oct. 2024
The study design could not demonstrate cause and effect, however, but only correlation.
—Blake Murdoch, Scientific American, 18 Oct. 2024
In the 1930s, internationalists in the U.S. Treasury Department saw a powerful cause and effect and were determined to resolve the flaws in the international economic system once and for all.
—Benn Steil, Foreign Affairs, 11 Feb. 2013
Most of the questions, however, have centered on the shortcomings in Washington’s response to the crisis, rather than the causes and effects of the Benghazi attack itself.
—Ethan Chorin, Foreign Affairs, 10 Feb. 2016
See all Example Sentences for cause and effect
Dictionary Entries Near cause and effect
Cite this Entry
“Cause and effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cause%20and%20effect. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.
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