contributing factor
noun
: something that helps cause a result
According to the police report of the accident, excessive speed was a contributing factor.
—often + to/inThe coach's positive attitude was a contributing factor to/in the team's success.
Examples of contributing factor in a Sentence
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Simply put, at the time of the accident, the plane was being handled by Canadian controllers, though there is no indication so far that that was a contributing factor.
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Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
The highly contagious virus was responsible for the deaths of more than 40 million egg-laying birds last year and has been a contributing factor to the soaring price of eggs across the country, as the USDA requires the culling of entire flocks to stop the spread if the virus is detected.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025
High winds at or around the time the structure failed — measured at speeds higher than 20 mph with gusts in the 30s — may have been a contributing factor, Kearns said.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 30 Jan. 2025
Human error—a contributing factor in most crashes, if not their direct cause—can also stem from equipment failure, as in the case of Pan Am Flight 812 in 1974 and Air France Flight 447 in 2009.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2025
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Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
The highly contagious virus was responsible for the deaths of more than 40 million egg-laying birds last year and has been a contributing factor to the soaring price of eggs across the country, as the USDA requires the culling of entire flocks to stop the spread if the virus is detected.
—Rebekah Riess, CNN, 11 Feb. 2025
High winds at or around the time the structure failed — measured at speeds higher than 20 mph with gusts in the 30s — may have been a contributing factor, Kearns said.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 30 Jan. 2025
Human error—a contributing factor in most crashes, if not their direct cause—can also stem from equipment failure, as in the case of Pan Am Flight 812 in 1974 and Air France Flight 447 in 2009.
—Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for contributing factor
Cite this Entry
“Contributing factor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contributing%20factor. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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