- [countable] cause (of something) the person or thing that makes something happen
- Unemployment is a major cause of poverty.
- The report ignores the root cause of the problem.
- Smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer.
- Drinking and driving is one of the most common causes of traffic accidents.
- It was impossible to determine the cause of death.
- There was discussion about the fire and its likely cause.
- He died of natural causes.
- It is not easy to separate cause and effect in this situation.
Extra ExamplesTopics Change, cause and effecta2- A greater cause for resentment is the discrepancy in pay.
- Smoking is a common cause of premature death.
- The precise cause of the accident is not known.
- The real cause of the problem lies in the poor construction of the bridge.
- What are the causes of the crisis?
- attempts to identify the immediate cause of the breakdown
- the causes of blindness
- the root cause of the problem
- the social causes of ill health
- She regarded me as the cause of all her problems.
- They are still trying to identify the immediate cause of the breakdown.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- real
- root
- true
- …
- determine
- discover
- find
- …
- be
- lie in something
- remain
- …
- cause of
- cause and effect
- the cause of death
- due to natural causes
- …
- [uncountable] a reason for having particular feelings or behaving in a particular way
- cause for something There is no cause for concern.
- The food was excellent—I had no cause for complaint.
- with/without cause If your child is absent without good cause (= a good reason), you may receive a warning from the school board.
Extra Examples- Her health is giving us great cause for concern.
- The experts may find cause to disagree with the school's decision.
- The onus is on government departments to show cause why information cannot be disclosed.
- There is no cause for alarm.
- There is no reasonable cause to suspect an unnatural death.
- We have good cause to believe that he was involved in the crime.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- good
- great
- real
- …
- have
- find
- give (somebody)
- …
- cause for
- cause for concern
- with good cause
- without good cause
- …
- [countable] an organization or idea that people support or fight for
- Animal welfare campaigners raised £70 000 for their cause last year.
- a good/worthy cause (= an organization that does good work, such as a charity)
- He dedicated his life to fighting for the Republican cause.
- The donation is the biggest private gift to a humanitarian cause.
- She has long championed the cause of civil liberties.
Extra Examples- He pleaded the cause of the local fishermen.
- She has taken up the cause of animal rights.
- She was keen to do anything that would further the cause.
- The different groups support a common cause.
- The money she left went to various worthy causes.
- young men willing to fight for the cause
- They were not prepared to sacrifice themselves for the cause of the country.
- prominent figures in the socialist cause
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- deserving
- good
- just
- …
- advance
- champion
- embrace
- …
- for the cause of
- in the cause of
- in a/the cause
- …
- (all) for a good cause
- (all) in a good cause
- [countable] (law) a case that goes to court
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, from Latin causa (noun), causare (verb).
Idioms
See cause in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee cause in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe for/in a good cause
- worth doing, because it is helping other people
- Oh well, it's all for a good cause.
- The function took a lot of organizing, but was all for/in a good cause.
in the cause of something
- in order to support or defend something
- He gave his life in the cause of freedom.
Extra Examples- battles fought in the cause of decentralization
- to disregard the strict letter of the law in the cause of true justice
make common cause with somebody
- (formal) to be united with somebody about something that you both agree on, believe in or wish to achieveTopics Discussion and agreementc2
Check pronunciation:
cause