CAUSE

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IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cause mean? 

• CAUSE (noun)
  The noun CAUSE has 5 senses:

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

2. a justification for something existing or happening

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

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

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

  Familiarity information: CAUSE used as a noun is common.

• CAUSE (verb)
  The verb CAUSE has 2 senses:

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

2. cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner

  Familiarity information: CAUSE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CAUSE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural events

Context example:

they are trying to determine the cause of the crash

Hypernyms ("cause" is a kind of...):

inception; origin; origination (an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cause"):

antecedent (a preceding occurrence or cause or event)

aetiology; etiology (the cause of a disease)

factor (anything that contributes causally to a result)

producer (something that produces)

mutagenesis (an event capable of causing a mutation)

Derivation:

causal (involving or constituting a cause; causing)

cause (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner)

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

Sense 2

Meaning:

A justification for something existing or happening

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

cause; grounds; reason

Context example:

they had good reason to rejoice

Hypernyms ("cause" is a kind of...):

justification (a statement in explanation of some action or belief)

Derivation:

causal (involving or constituting a cause; causing)

cause (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner)

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

Sense 3

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

campaign; cause; crusade; drive; effort; movement

Context example:

contributed to the war effort

Hypernyms ("cause" is a kind of...):

venture (any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cause"):

campaigning; candidacy; candidature; electioneering; political campaign (the campaign of a candidate to be elected)

youth crusade; youth movement (political or religious or social reform movement or agitation consisting chiefly of young people)

war (a concerted campaign to end something that is injurious)

reform (a campaign aimed to correct abuses or malpractices)

lost cause (a defeated cause or a cause for which defeat is inevitable)

gay lib; gay liberation movement (the movement aimed at liberating homosexuals from legal or social or economic oppression)

feminism; feminist movement; women's lib; women's liberation movement (the movement aimed at equal rights for women)

fund-raising campaign; fund-raising drive; fund-raising effort (a campaign to raise money for some cause)

consumerism (a movement advocating greater protection of the interests of consumers)

charm campaign (a campaign of flattery and friendliness (by a company, politician, etc.) to become more popular and gain support)

anti-war movement (a campaign against entering or continuing a war)

ad blitz; ad campaign; advertising campaign (an organized program of advertisements)

Sense 4

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns with no superordinates

Synonyms:

causal agency; causal agent; cause

Hypernyms ("cause" is a kind of...):

physical entity (an entity that has physical existence)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cause"):

agent (an active and efficient cause; capable of producing a certain effect)

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

agent (a substance that exerts some force or effect)

danger (a cause of pain or injury or loss)

cause of death; killer (the causal agent resulting in death)

engine (something used to achieve a purpose)

life principle; vital principle (a hypothetical force to which the functions and qualities peculiar to living things are sometimes ascribed)

force; power (one possessing or exercising power or influence or authority)

manipulator; operator (an agent that operates some apparatus or machine)

catalyst (something that causes an important event to happen)

destiny; fate (the ultimate agency regarded as predetermining the course of events (often personified as a woman))

first cause; prime mover; primum mobile (an agent that is the cause of all things but does not itself have a cause)

theurgy (the effect of supernatural or divine intervention in human affairs)

occult; supernatural (supernatural forces and events and beings collectively)

nature (a causal agent creating and controlling things in the universe)

deus ex machina (any active agent who appears unexpectedly to solve an insoluble difficulty)

Derivation:

cause (cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner)

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

causal (involving or constituting a cause; causing)

Sense 5

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

case; causa; cause; lawsuit; suit

Context example:

the family brought suit against the landlord

Hypernyms ("cause" is a kind of...):

legal proceeding; proceeding; proceedings ((law) the institution of a sequence of steps by which legal judgments are invoked)

Domain category:

jurisprudence; law (the collection of rules imposed by authority)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "cause"):

bastardy proceeding; paternity suit (a lawsuit filed to determine the father of a child born out of wedlock (and to provide for the support of the child once paternity is determined))

class-action suit; class action (a lawsuit brought by a representative member of a large group of people on behalf of all members of the group)

moot (a hypothetical case that law students argue as an exercise)

countersuit (a suit brought against someone who has sued you)

civil suit (a lawsuit alleging violations of civil law by the defendant)

criminal suit (a lawsuit alleging violations of criminal law by the defendant)

• CAUSE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

cause; do; make

Context example:

cause an accident

Hypernyms (to "cause" is one way to...):

create; make (make or cause to be or to become)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cause"):

determine; influence; mold; regulate; shape (shape or influence; give direction to)

initiate; pioneer (take the lead or initiative in; participate in the development of)

effect; effectuate; set up (produce)

make (compel or make somebody or something to act in a certain way)

occasion (give occasion to)

call forth; evoke; kick up; provoke (evoke or provoke to appear or occur)

breed; engender; spawn (call forth)

actuate; incite; motivate; move; prompt; propel (give an incentive for action)

force; impel (urge or force (a person) to an action; constrain or motivate)

facilitate (increase the likelihood of (a response))

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Derivation:

causation (the act of causing something to happen)

causative (producing an effect)

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

cause (a justification for something existing or happening)

cause (events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Cause to do; cause to act in a specified manner

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

cause; get; have; induce; make; stimulate

Context example:

My wife made me buy a new sofa

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "cause"):

lead (cause to undertake a certain action)

compel; obligate; oblige (force somebody to do something)

suborn (induce to commit perjury or give false testimony)

inspire; instigate; prompt (serve as the inciting cause of)

let (actively cause something to happen)

encourage (spur on)

solicit (incite, move, or persuade to some act of lawlessness or insubordination)

bring (induce or persuade)

persuade (cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm)

decide (cause to decide)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s somebody INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They cause him to write the letter

Derivation:

causation (the act of causing something to happen)

cause (events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something)

cause (a justification for something existing or happening)

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

causative (producing an effect)

 Context examples 

You are aware only of its changes, or of such changes in it as cause changes in your consciousness.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

These people are under continual disquietudes, never enjoying a minute’s peace of mind; and their disturbances proceed from causes which very little affect the rest of mortals.

(Gulliver's Travels into several remote nations of the world, by Jonathan Swift)

An instant later the explosion occurred, though Hudson thought it was caused by the misdirected bullet of one of the convicts rather than the mate’s match.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

In March, you could light nations to your cause.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The Lion became quite angry at the laughter caused by the Scarecrow's mishap, and giving a loud roar that echoed like thunder, he dashed up the hill.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

He sent to the little tailor and caused him to be informed that as he was a great warrior, he had one request to make to him.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

What is causing the rapid retreat?

(Retreat of Yakutat Glacier, NASA)

His was a broken, jerky utterance, caused by the violence with which he hammered his numb hand upon the wood.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

Obviously they have been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round the edges of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

“He led a lost cause, and he was not afraid of God’s thunderbolts,” Wolf Larsen was saying.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)