Definitions for cause
kɔzcause

Princeton's WordNet(3.89 / 9 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cause(noun)

   events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

   "they are trying to determine the cause of the crash"

2. cause, reason, grounds(noun)

   a justification for something existing or happening

   "he had no cause to complain"; "they had good reason to rejoice"

3. campaign, cause, crusade, drive, movement, effort(noun)

   a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end

   "he supported populist campaigns"; "they worked in the cause of world peace"; "the team was ready for a drive toward the pennant"; "the movement to end slavery"; "contributed to the war effort"

4. causal agent, cause, causal agency(noun)

   any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results

5. lawsuit, suit, case, cause, causa(verb)

   a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy

   "the family brought suit against the landlord"

6. cause, do, make(verb)

   give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

   "cause a commotion"; "make a stir"; "cause an accident"

7. induce, stimulate, cause, have, get, make(verb)

   cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner

   "The ads induced me to buy a VCR"; "My children finally got me to buy a computer"; "My wife made me buy a new sofa"

Wiktionary(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cause(Noun)

   The source or reason of an event or action

   Etymology: From cause, from cause, from causa, in also "a thing". Origin uncertain. See accuse, excuse. Displaced native sake (from sacu), andweorc (from andweorc).

2. cause(Noun)

   A goal, aim or principle, especially one which transcends purely selfish ends.

   He is fighting for a just cause.

   Etymology: From cause, from cause, from causa, in also "a thing". Origin uncertain. See accuse, excuse. Displaced native sake (from sacu), andweorc (from andweorc).

3. cause(Verb)

   To set off an event or action.

   The lightning caused thunder.

   Etymology: From cause, from cause, from causa, in also "a thing". Origin uncertain. See accuse, excuse. Displaced native sake (from sacu), andweorc (from andweorc).

4. cause(Verb)

   To actively produce as a result, by means of force or authority.

   His dogged determination caused the fundraising to be successful.

   Etymology: From cause, from cause, from causa, in also "a thing". Origin uncertain. See accuse, excuse. Displaced native sake (from sacu), andweorc (from andweorc).

5. cause(Conjunction)

   because

   Etymology: From cause, from cause, from causa, in also "a thing". Origin uncertain. See accuse, excuse. Displaced native sake (from sacu), andweorc (from andweorc).

Webster Dictionary(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Cause

   that which produces or effects a result; that from which anything proceeds, and without which it would not exist

2. Cause

   that which is the occasion of an action or state; ground; reason; motive; as, cause for rejoicing

3. Cause

   sake; interest; advantage

4. Cause

   a suit or action in court; any legal process by which a party endeavors to obtain his claim, or what he regards as his right; case; ground of action

5. Cause

   any subject of discussion or debate; matter; question; affair in general

6. Cause

   the side of a question, which is espoused, advocated, and upheld by a person or party; a principle which is advocated; that which a person or party seeks to attain

7. Cause(noun)

   to effect as an agent; to produce; to be the occasion of; to bring about; to bring into existence; to make; -- usually followed by an infinitive, sometimes by that with a finite verb

8. Cause(verb)

   to assign or show cause; to give a reason; to make excuse

9. Cause

   abbreviation of Because

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Cause

   kawz, n. that which produces an effect: that by or through which anything happens: motive: inducement: a legal action between contending parties: sake, advantage: that side of a question which is taken up by an individual or party: (Shak.) accusation: (Shak.) matter, affair in general.—v.t. to produce: to make to exist: to bring about: (Spens.) to give excuses.—conj. (dial.) because.—adj. Caus′al, relating to a cause or causes.—n. Causal′ity, the working of a cause: (phren.) the faculty of tracing effects to their causes.—adv. Caus′ally, according to the order of causes.—ns. Causā′tion, the act of causing: the bringing about of an effect; the relation of cause and effect; Causā′tionism, the theory of causation; Causā′tionist, a believer in the foregoing.—adj. Caus′ative, expressing causation.—n. a form of verb or noun expressing such.—adv. Caus′atively.—adj. Cause′less, having no cause or occasion.—adv. Cause′lessly.—ns. Cause′lessness; Caus′er, one who causes an effect to be produced.—Cause célèbre, a convenient French term for a specially interesting and important legal trial, criminal or civil.—Final cause, the end or object for which a thing is done, esp. the design of the universe; First cause, the original cause or creator of all.—Hour of cause (Scot.), hour or time of trial.—Secondary causes, such as are derived from a primary or first cause.—Have or Show cause, to have to give reasons for a certain line of action; Make common cause (with), to unite for a common object; Show cause (Eng. law), to argue against the confirmation of a provisional order or judgment.—For Occasional causes, see Occasionalism. [Fr.,—L. causa.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. cause

   A logical reason.

   They knew the cause and could therefore make the necessary change to ensure optimum health.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 22, 2020  

2. cause

   Action or intention to create.

   The cause is well known and is easily solved with the universe supporting us.

   Submitted by MaryC on January 22, 2020  

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cause' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1406

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cause' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2153

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cause' in Nouns Frequency: #456

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'cause' in Verbs Frequency: #109

Anagrams for cause »

1. sauce

How to pronounce cause?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say cause in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of cause in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of cause in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of cause in a Sentence

1. Jeffrey Gundlach:

   Oil is in massive oversupply due to ZIRP (zero interest-rate policy) induced over-investment, and crashing oil is not the cause of all this chaos, it is a symptom of global economic weakness. As are all the tumbling risk markets.

2. Ehsan Sehgal:

   The flood of negative and evil thoughts can cause depression and the collapse of stable life, damaging various organs of the body.

3. Chris Smith:

   His condition has not improved since ; he has not regained consciousness, his wife, Yevgenia, said in an e-mail to RFE/RL and other media outlets. Kara-Murza’s father, a prominent journalist, told Russian media Thursday that the situation appears to be more serious than we thought. His lungs are being artificially ventilated, he is connected to 10 devices. Related ImageExpand / ContractKara-Murza,( l.), is an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, as was his ally, Boris Nemtsov,( r.). , who was gunned down near the Kremlin in February. ( Reuters) Kara-Murza's father is a journalist with RFE/RL’s Russian Service. The activist's family was stopped short of raising public questions about whether foul play was involved. There is no criminal case so far, none has been opened because he is simply a normal patient who arrived at a Moscow hospital by ambulance. That’s his status, nothing more, his father told a radio station. Our task right now is to bring him to a normal trajectory of recuperation. We ’ll establish the cause [ of the illness ] later. Open Russia was founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oil oligarch and Kremlin opponent who lives in Switzerland after Mikhail Khodorkovsky was pardoned by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2013 following 10 years in prison. Open Russia's new documentary accuses Kadyrov, a former rebel fighter who joined forces with the Kremlin in 2000, of participating in murders and torture in the North Caucasus republic. Related ImageExpand / ContractChechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was accused of torture and murder in the new documentary. ( Reuters) Both the Kremlin and Kadyrov have denied involvement in the killing of Boris Nemtsov, although Kadyrov praised the main suspect in the case, a former Chechen police officer, as a.

4. Steven Maviglio:

   Splitting California into three new states will triple the amount of special interests, lobbyists, politicians and bureaucracy, california government can do a better job addressing the real issues facing the state, but this measure is a massive distraction that will cause political chaos and greater inequality.

5. Mike Pence:

   He held fast to his faith in America through six decades of service. We are here today to honor an American patriot who served a cause greater than himself, we will forever remember that John McCain served John McCain country and John McCain served John McCain country honorably.

Images & Illustrations of cause

Popularity rank by frequency of use