cause

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈkɔːz/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/kɔz/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(kôz)

Inflections of 'cause' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
causes
v 3rd person singular
causing
v pres p
caused
v past
caused
v past p
WordReference Collins English Usage © 2025
cause
used as a noun
The cause of an event is the thing that makes it happen.
Nobody knew the cause of the explosion.
He thought he had discovered the cause of her sadness.
You always use of, not ‘for’, after cause.
Don't use ‘because of’ or ‘due to’ with cause. Don't say, for example, ‘The cause of the fire was probably due to a dropped cigarette’. You say ‘The cause of the fire was probably a dropped cigarette’.
The report said the main cause of the disaster was the failure to secure doors properly.
The cause of the symptoms appears to be inability to digest gluten.
used as a verb
To cause something means to make it happen.
We are trying to find out what causes an earthquake.
Any acute infection can cause headaches.
You can say that something causes someone to do something.
A blow to the head had caused him to lose consciousness.
The experience had caused her to be distrustful of people.
Don't say that something ‘causes that someone does’ something.
'cause' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

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