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cause

Syllabification: (cause)
Pronunciation: /kôz/

Translate cause | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of cause

noun

  • 1a person or thing that gives rise to an action, phenomenon, or condition:the cause of the accident is not clear
  • reasonable grounds for doing, thinking, or feeling something:Faye’s condition had given no cause for concern [with infinitive]:the government had good cause to avoid war class size is a cause for complaint in some schools
  • 2a principle, aim, or movement that, because of a deep commitment, one is prepared to defend or advocate:she devoted her life to the cause of deaf people I’m raising money for a good cause
  • 3a matter to be resolved in a court of law.
  • an individual’s case offered at law.

verb

[with object]
  • make (something, typically something bad) happen:this disease can cause blindness [with object and infinitive]:we have no idea what has happened to cause people to stay away [with two objs]:you could cause them problems

Phrases

cause and effect

the principle of causation.
the operation or relation of a cause and its effect.

cause of action

Law a fact or facts that enable a person to bring an action against another.

in the cause of

so as to support, promote, or defend something.

make common cause

unite in order to achieve a shared aim:nationalist movements made common cause with the reformers

a rebel without a cause

a person who is dissatisfied with society but does not have a specific aim to fight for.
[from the title of a US film, released in 1955]

Derivatives

causeless

adjective

causer

noun

Origin:

Middle English: from Old French, from Latin causa (noun), causare (verb)

cause in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of cause in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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