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

"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

… focused on observable and verifiable causes and effects in the natural world …

—Rafi Eis

Examples of cause and effect in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Fun scientific exploration can also provide kids with examples of cause and effect and opportunities to learn how different elements are connected and interact with each other. —Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 5 Dec. 2024

Acne is complex, and there is not always a clear cause and effect. —Emma Sandler, Allure, 26 Nov. 2024

Another aspect to the cohesiveness was cause and effect. —Daron James, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2024

That’s a lot of Oscar history happening in the span of two years, a Jenga tower of cause and effect that would topple if even one block got removed. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined above