cause
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
How often you will meet it
Rank 576 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 33,911 times across 173,499 chapters — 0.016% of every word in the library.
It belongs to the first 1,000 words, the band worth learning before any other.
What it means
noun
- events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something they are trying to determine the cause of the crash
- a justification for something existing or happening also: reason, grounds he had no cause to complainthey had good reason to rejoice
- a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end also: campaign, crusade, drive, movement, effort he supported populist campaignsthey worked in the cause of world peace
- any entity that produces an effect or is responsible for events or results also: causal agent, causal agency
- a comprehensive term for any proceeding in a court of law whereby an individual seeks a legal remedy also: lawsuit, suit, case, causa the family brought suit against the landlord
verb
- give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally also: do, make cause a commotionmake a stir
- cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner also: induce, stimulate, have, get, make The ads induced me to buy a VCRMy children finally got me to buy a computer
cause in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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It was, above all, a cause of expense.
Other People's Money · Emile Gaboriau · Chapter 1
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The battle of Barnet had not, in reality, greatly weakened the Lancastrian cause.
A Knight of the White Cross · G. A. (George Alfred) Henty · Chapter 1
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Bini Aru had used this secret many times, but not to cause evil or suffering to others.
The Magic of Oz · L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum · Chapter 1
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Uncharitable woman! thy rash tongue Hath rais'd a fearful and prodigious storm: Be thou the cause of all ensuing harm.
The White Devil · John Webster · Chapter 1
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The cause of this awful outbreak of human passion was the murder of a four-year-old child, daughter of a man named Vance.
The Red Record Tabulated Statistics · Ida B. Wells-Barnett · Chapter 1