cause

/kɔːz/

noun

  1. The reason something happens, or the person, event, or thing that makes it happen.

    A2

    countable

    • "What was the cause of the accident?"A2
    • "Scientists are studying the causes of climate change."B1

  2. An organized effort or principle that people or organizations support to achieve a particular aim, especially social or political change.

    B1

    countable

    • "She works for a good cause."B1
    • "She is a strong advocate for environmental causes."B1

verb

  1. To make something happen, especially something unpleasant or harmful.

    A2

    transitive; cause someone or something to do something

    • "The storm caused serious damage."A2
    • "The new policy caused many workers to lose their jobs."B1
    • "Smoking can cause serious health problems."B1

Common mistakes

  • cause someone do something→cause someone to do something

    Use to before the base verb after cause someone.

  • the cause why he left→the reason why he left

    Reason is usually more natural for an explanation; cause is more often used for the thing that produces an event.

Collocations

cause of deathroot causecommon causecause serious damagecause problemsfor a good causecause and effectcause for concerncause trouble

Word family

causalcausalitycausationcausativecausally