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cause adjectives a common cause of something • Alcohol is the most common cause of road accidents. the main/primary cause of something • Smoking is the main cause of lung disease. a major/leading cause of something • In this country, debt is a major cause of homelessness. • Drug abuse is the leading cause of crime and violence. a direct/indirect cause • Government policies are the direct cause of the problems facing the economy. the root cause (= the most basic cause ) • People often deal with the symptoms rather than the root cause of a problem. the fundamental/underlying cause (= the root cause ) • The underlying cause of insomnia is often anxiety. the probable/likely cause • The probable cause of the fire was faulty wiring. verbs discover/find the cause • An investigation has failed to discover the cause of the epidemic. determine/establish/identify the cause (= discover definitely what it is ) • A team of experts is at the scene of the accident, trying to determine the cause. investigate the cause • Police are still investigating the cause of the fire. phrases the cause of death • A snake bite was the cause of death. die of/from natural causes (= die of illness, old age etc, not because of an accident or crime ) • He died from natural causes, believed to be a heart attack. cause and effect (= the idea that one thing directly causes another ) • What happened was simply a question of cause and effect. cause 2 adjectives a good cause (= one that is worth supporting, for example a charity ) • The money we are raising is for a good cause. a worthy/deserving cause (= a good cause ) • The Red Cross is a very worthy cause. a just cause (= an aim that is fair and right ) • The rebels believed that they were fighting for a just cause. a noble cause (= an aim that is morally good ) • He died for a noble cause. the Nationalist/Republican etc cause (= their aims and organization ) • The election results were a serious blow to the Nationalist cause. verbs support a cause • Giving money is only one way of supporting a good cause. fight for a cause (= take action to achieve an aim ) • Young people often want to fight for a cause. champion a cause (= publicly support an aim ) • He has championed the cause of renewable energy since the 1980s. advance/further/promote a cause (= help to achieve an aim ) • He did much to advance the cause of freedom. be committed to a cause (= believe in an aim very strongly ) • We are committed to the cause of racial justice. be sympathetic to a cause (= understand an aim, and possibly support it ) • They hope the new President will be sympathetic to their cause. cause 3 nouns cause a problem • The heavy rain has been causing serious problems on the roads. cause trouble • I decided not to complain because I didn’t want to cause trouble. cause damage • A fire had broken out and caused severe damage to the roof. cause (a) disease • Scientists are trying to find out what causes the disease. cause injury • Rugby is one of the sports that are most likely to cause injury. cause pain • The infection can cause severe pain. cause death • The famine caused the death of up to 400,000 people. cause (a) delay • Bad weather caused delays at many airports. cause an accident • 75% of accidents are caused by speeding. cause chaos/disruption • Floods caused chaos across much of the country. cause concern/alarm • Environmental issues are causing widespread concern. cause confusion • Teachers say the reforms will cause confusion in schools. cause offence/embarrassment (= offend/embarrass someone ) • How can I refuse the invitation without causing offence?
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cause to make something happen, especially something bad: • Bad weather has caused a lot of problems on the roads. • The fault caused the whole computer system to shut down. make somebody/something do something to cause someone to do something, or cause something to happen. Make is less formal than cause , and is the usual word to use in everyday English: • What made you decide to become a teacher? • I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry. • Gravity is the force which makes the planets move round the Sun. be responsible for something if someone or something is responsible for something bad, they caused it to happen: • The excessive heat was responsible for their deaths. • A small militant group was responsible for the bombing. bring about something to make something happen – used especially about changes or improvements: • The Internet has brought about enormous changes in society. • It’s important that we do everything we can to bring about peace. result in something if an action or event results in something, it makes that thing happen: • The fire resulted in the deaths of two children. • The decision is likely to result in a large number of job losses. lead to something to cause something to happen eventually after a period of time: • The information led to several arrests. • A poor diet in childhood can lead to health problems later in life. trigger if one event triggers another, it suddenly makes the second event happen: • The incident triggered a wave of violence. • An earthquake off Java’s southern coast triggered a tsunami. precipitate formal to make a very serious event happen very suddenly, which will affect a lot of people: • The withdrawal of foreign investment would precipitate an economic crisis. • The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand precipitated World War I.
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noun sb/sth that makes sth happen ADJ. real, root, true, underlying the root cause of the problem | deeper, greater A greater cause for resentment is the discrepancy in pay. | biggest, chief, clear, fundamental, important, main, major, primary, prime, principal, significant | common Smoking is a common cause of premature death. | likely, possible | known, unknown | direct, indirect | immediate, initial | long-term, short-term | reasonable There is no reasonable cause to suspect an unnatural death. | contributory | hidden | social the social causes of ill health VERB + CAUSE discover, find, identify attempts to identify the immediate cause of the breakdown CAUSE + VERB be, lie in sth The real cause of the problem lies in the poor construction of the bridge. PHRASES cause and effect, the cause of death, due to/from/of natural causes He died of natural causes. reason ADJ. good, great, real, reasonable VERB + CAUSE have We have good cause to believe that he was involved in the crime. | find The experts may find cause to disagree with the school's decision. | give (sb) Her health is giving us great cause for concern. | show The onus is on government departments to show cause why information cannot be disclosed. PREP. ~ for There is no cause for alarm. PHRASES cause for concern, with/without good cause, without just cause aim that people believe in ADJ. deserving, good, just, noble, worthwhile, worthy The money she left went to various worthy causes. | bad, unjust | common The different groups support a common cause. | hopeless, lost (= one that has failed or that cannot succeed) | humanitarian, social | communist, socialist, etc. VERB + CAUSE be committed/sympathetic to, champion, fight for, further, help, promote, serve, support young men willing to fight for the cause She was keen to do anything that would further the cause. | take up She has taken up the cause of animal rights. | plead He pleaded the cause of the local fishermen. PREP. in a/the ~ prominent figures in the socialist cause | in the ~ of to disregard the strict letter of the law in the cause of true justice PHRASES a cause celebre (= a controversial issue that attracts a great deal of public attention), (all) for/in a good cause The function took a lot of organizing, but was all in a good cause.