as in to create
to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind)
the ice storm caused a massive power outage
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in reason
someone or something responsible for a result
the much-debated causes of the war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in movement
a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal
joined the freedom fighters' cause as a young man
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 cause
Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Severe storms and flooding in Muskego, Wisconsin, caused road closures, sewage issues, and damage to homes and businesses.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Hawthorn Woods police and the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Verb
For Nautilus vehicles, the device can also cause the rear tail light, rear turn signal and rear position light to fail, Ford said.
—Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025
Severe storms and flooding in Muskego, Wisconsin, caused road closures, sewage issues, and damage to homes and businesses.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
Jenner said that data around how many students were given good cause exemptions and met one of the other exceptions for being passed to the fourth grade would be released on the state’s third-grade reading dashboard around Oct. 1.
—Caroline Beck, IndyStar, 13 Aug. 2025
The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the Hawthorn Woods police and the Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 12 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cause
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cause
Verb
-
If Western companies and governments retreat from global projects out of fear or mistrust, the ecosystem could splinter, reducing innovation and creating regional silos that are less secure and less robust.—
Kevin Korte,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
Now, just over seven months later, YouTube confirmed that $3 million of that sum will be used to create a fund that directly supports creative professionals in the city.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Our creative and marketing teams form the largest portion of our workforce—and for good reason.—
Anatolii Kasianov,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Some states permit universal mail-in voting, for example, where anyone can vote by mail for any reason.—
Rebecca Schneid,
Time,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
As naturalistic gardens have grown in popularity, so too have the gorgeous ornamental grasses that provide a sense of airy texture and movement.—
Miranda Crowell,
Better Homes & Gardens,
16 Aug. 2025
-
Job losses, higher consumer prices, and emissions leakage as goods movement relocates to states with fewer regulations but higher pollution levels.—
Timothy Jemal,
Oc Register,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The department framed limits as bringing services in line with national norms, but some people, such as those who received therapy multiple times a week, could see cutbacks.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
13 Aug. 2025
-
The brand’s latest Color Series Mason jar collection nods to classic designs of the past, with darling details that bring nostalgic charm to any space whether they’re used in the kitchen for food storage or around the house as decor.—
Alicia Geigel,
Southern Living,
13 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
King predicted that in the long-term, these digital currencies, which peg their value to a hard asset like the U.S. dollar, will be the single greatest determinant of ether’s future price fluctuations.—
Charles Lloyd Bovaird II,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
-
That information includes the list of providers a patient sees; summaries of each encounter with those providers; and their social determinants of health such as housing, access to food and employment.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
Noun
-
Update, Monday August 18, 2025: This article has been updated with details on Google AI cloud services and the final pre-launch moments of the Pixel 10 marketing campaign.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes.com,
19 Aug. 2025
-
At one point, Trump pointed to a portrait depicting his assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania, during the 2024 presidential campaign.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
19 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
This crossword clue page was generated automatically using information from puzzles.usatoday.com.—
Sally Hoelscher,
USA Today,
18 Aug. 2025
-
From orbital factories producing high-value materials to lunar platforms enabled by in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), the use of local materials—such as lunar regolith to build infrastructure, generate fuel or produce oxygen—marks a significant shift.—
Shelli Brunswick,
Forbes.com,
18 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
But correlation is not causation. Consider this scenario: Carrier records show data transmission thirty seconds before a crash.—
Lars Daniel,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
The timing of autism diagnosis often coincides with the vaccination schedule, but correlation does not mean causation.—
Tim Ryan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cause.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cause. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share