cause

cause
cause1 [ kɔz ] noun ***
1. ) count an event, thing, or person that makes something happen:
cause of: The pathologist's report established the cause of death as extensive chest injuries.
The major cause of these accidents is speeding by drivers.
underlying/root cause (=the basic cause, but not an obvious one): Doctors are now recognizing stress as the underlying cause of many illnesses.
a ) cause and effect the principle that one thing causes another
2. ) count or uncount a reason for behaving in a particular way or for feeling a particular emotion:
cause for: His departure was cause for celebration in the village.
no cause for concern/alarm: The doctor's report on the biopsy states that there is no cause for concern.
without good cause: He wouldn't have done it without good cause (=a good reason).
a ) have (good) cause to do something FORMAL to have a strong reason for doing, thinking, or feeling something:
Alison had cause to be pleased with the way things had turned out.
Judd's father had good cause to be proud of him.
have no cause to do something: I have no cause to question his integrity.
3. ) count a goal, idea, or organization that you support or work for, for example in politics:
Campaigners hope that people will be sympathetic to their cause.
champion a cause: He has championed (=strongly supported) the cause of renewable energy since the mid-1970s.
a ) an organization, plan, or activity that you are willing to support because it provides help or benefit to people who need it:
a good/worthy cause: Please give as much as you can: it's for a very worthy cause.
all in a good cause: It may be hard work but it's all in a good cause.
4. ) count LEGAL a case in a law court
=> LOST CAUSE
cause
cause 2 [ kɔz ] verb transitive ***
to make something happen, usually something bad:
a politician who causes controversy wherever he goes
The fire was caused by an electrical fault.
cause damage/problems/trouble: The storm caused widespread damage.
cause someone/something to do something: An injury to the goalkeeper caused him to limp off after ten minutes.
Greenhouse gases are widely believed to be causing the Earth's atmosphere to heat up.
cause someone something: He apologizes for causing you any embarrassment.
a. LEGAL used about someone who has done something wrong:
He was arrested for causing a disturbance.
b. used about something that makes an illness start:
Indigestion is caused by excess acid in the stomach.
The drug has been withdrawn, having been found to cause epileptic fits in laboratory mice.

Usage of the words and phrases in modern English. 2013.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • cause — 1 n 1: something that brings about an effect or result the negligent act which was the cause of the plaintiff s injury ◇ The cause of an injury must be proven in both tort and criminal cases. actual cause: cause in fact in this entry but–for… …   Law dictionary

  • cause — [ koz ] n. f. • XIIe; lat. causa « cause » et « procès » → chose I ♦ Ce qui produit un effet (considéré par rapport à cet effet). 1 ♦ (1170) Ce par quoi un événement, une action humaine arrive, se fait. ⇒ origine; motif, objet, raison, 3. sujet.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Cause — • Cause, as the correlative of effect, is understood as being that which in any way gives existence to, or contributes towards the existence of, any thing; which produces a result; to which the origin of any thing is to be ascribed Catholic… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • cause — CAUSE. s. f. Principe, ce qui fait qu une chose est. Dieu est la première de toutes les causes, la cause des causes, la souveraine cause, la cause universelle. On appelle Dieu, absolument et par excellence, Cause première, comme on appelle les… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • cause — Cause, qui fait faire quelque chose, Causa. La meilleure cause et la pire, Superior causa et inferior. B. ex Cicerone. Les causes durent tousjours et perseverent, Manent causae. Tu as ouy les causes de mon conseil, Audisti consilij mei motus. Par …   Thresor de la langue françoyse

  • cause — CAUSE. s. f. Principe, ce qui fait qu une chose est. Dieu est la premiere de toutes les causes, la cause des causes, la souveraine cause. On appelle Dieu absolument & par excellence, Cause premiere; comme on appelle les creatures Causes secondes …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Cause — (k[add]z), n. [F. cause, fr. L. causa. Cf. {Cause}, v., {Kickshaw}.] 1. That which produces or effects a result; that from which anything proceeds, and without which it would not exist. [1913 Webster] Cause is substance exerting its power into… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • cause — cause, causal explanation In non specialist contexts, to ask for the cause of some particular happening is to ask what made it happen, or brought it about. To give a causal explanation is to answer such questions, usually by specifying some prior …   Dictionary of sociology

  • cause — n 1 Cause, determinant, antecedent, reason, occasion are comparable when denoting what in whole or in part produces an effect or result. Cause is applicable to an agent (as a circumstance, condition, event, or force) that contributes to the… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • cause — [kôz] n. [ME < OFr < L causa, a cause, reason, judicial process, lawsuit: infl. (in CAUSE senses 4 & 5) by CASE1] 1. anything producing an effect or result 2. a person or thing acting voluntarily or involuntarily as the agent that brings… …   English World dictionary

  • causé — causé, ée (kô zé, zée) part. passé. 1°   Produit par une cause. •   Toutes choses étant causées ou causantes, PASC. dans COUSIN. 2°   Occasionné. Un incendie causé par un accident. 3°   Motivé. •   M. de Bouillon voulait une absence, et une… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

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