cause | meaning of cause in Longman Dictionary of ...

cause damageA fire had broken out and caused severe damage to the roof.cause (a) diseaseScientists are trying to find out what causes the disease.cause injury ... causeFromLongmanDictionaryofContemporaryEnglishcausecause1/kɔːz$kɒːz/●●●S1W1verb[transitive]    CAUSEtomakesomethinghappen,especiallysomethingbad  Heavytrafficiscausingdelaysonthefreeway.  Thefirecaused£15,000worthofdamage.causesomethingforsomebody  Theoilspilliscausingproblemsforcoastalfisheries.causeconcern/uncertainty/embarrassmentetc  Thepolicychangeshavecausedgreatuncertaintyfortheworkforce.  I’msorryifIcausedanyconfusion.causesomebodytrouble/problemsetc  You’vecausedusallalotofunnecessaryworry.  Sorry,Ididn’tmeantocauseoffence(=offendyou).causesomebody/somethingtodosomething  Whatcausedyoutochangeyourmind?RegisterIneverydayEnglish,peopleusuallyusetheexpressionmakesomebodydosomethingratherthancausesomebodytodosomething:Whatmadeyouchangeyourmind?GRAMMAR:Comparisoncause•Someoneorsomethingcausessomething:Investigatorsaretryingtofindoutwhatcausedtheaccident.•Somethingcausesapersonorthingtodosomething:Thewarmertemperaturescausedtheicecapstomelt.Theinjurycausedhimtolosethegame.✗Don’tsay:causethatsomeonedoessomethingmake•Someoneorsomethingmakesanotherpersonorthingdosomething:Thewarmertemperaturesmadetheicecapsmelt.Theinjurymadehimlosethegame.✗Don’tsay:makesomeone/somethingtodosomethingCOLLOCATIONS–Meaning1:tomakesomethinghappen,especiallysomethingbadnounscauseaproblemTheheavyrainhasbeencausingseriousproblemsontheroads.causetroubleIdecidednottocomplainbecauseIdidn’twanttocausetrouble.causedamageAfirehadbrokenoutandcausedseveredamagetotheroof.cause(a)diseaseScientistsaretryingtofindoutwhatcausesthedisease.causeinjuryRugbyisoneofthesportsthataremostlikelytocauseinjury.causepainTheinfectioncancauseseverepain.causedeathThefaminecausedthedeathofupto400,000people.cause(a)delayBadweathercauseddelaysatmanyairports.causeanaccident75%ofaccidentsarecausedbyspeeding.causechaos/disruptionFloodscausedchaosacrossmuchofthecountry.causeconcern/alarmEnvironmentalissuesarecausingwidespreadconcern.causeconfusionTeacherssaythereformswillcauseconfusioninschools.causeoffence/embarrassment(=offend/embarrasssomeone)HowcanIrefusetheinvitationwithoutcausingoffence? THESAURUScausetomakesomethinghappen,especiallysomethingbadBadweatherhascausedalotofproblemsontheroads.Thefaultcausedthewholecomputersystemtoshutdown.makesomebody/somethingdosomethingtocausesomeonetodosomething,orcausesomethingtohappen.Makeislessformalthancause,andistheusualwordtouseineverydayEnglishWhatmadeyoudecidetobecomeateacher?I’msorry,Ididn’tmeantomakeyoucry.GravityistheforcewhichmakestheplanetsmoveroundtheSun.beresponsibleforsomethingifsomeoneorsomethingisresponsibleforsomethingbad,theycausedittohappenTheexcessiveheatwasresponsiblefortheirdeaths.Asmallmilitantgroupwasresponsibleforthebombing.bringaboutsomethingtomakesomethinghappen–usedespeciallyaboutchangesorimprovementsTheInternethasbroughtaboutenormouschangesinsociety.It’simportantthatwedoeverythingwecantobringaboutpeace.resultinsomethingifanactionoreventresultsinsomething,itmakesthatthinghappenThefireresultedinthedeathsoftwochildren.Thedecisionislikelytoresultinalargenumberofjoblosses.leadtosomethingtocausesomethingtohappeneventuallyafteraperiodoftimeTheinformationledtoseveralarrests.Apoordietinchildhoodcanleadtohealthproblemslaterinlife.triggerifoneeventtriggersanother,itsuddenlymakesthesecondeventhappenTheincidenttriggeredawaveofviolence.AnearthquakeoffJava’ssoutherncoasttriggeredatsunami.precipitateformaltomakeaveryseriouseventhappenverysuddenly,whichwillaffectalotofpeopleThewithdrawalofforeigninvestmentwouldprecipitateaneconomiccrisis.TheassassinationofArchdukeFranzFerdinandprecipitatedWorldWarI. →SeeVerbtableExamplesfromtheCorpuscause•Thefirecaused$500,000indamage.•Whatusedtocauseabellylaughnowearnsapleasantchuckle.•Thestepfatherdenies24chargesofcrueltyandtwoofcausingactualbodilyharm.•We'resorryifwe'vecausedanyconfusion.•Heclaimedthatthesitewasgeologicallyunsoundandanystresscausedbyashiftinwaterlevelscouldcauseanearthquake.•Theautopsyshowedthatherdeathwascausedbyliverfailure.•Approximately90%ofdeathsfromlungcancerandbronchitisarecausedbysmoking.•Abouthalfofthechemicalsthatweretestedcausedcancerinrats.•Suchlargeemboliusuallycausedeathwithinonetotwohours.•Thetheoryamongmediahonchosisthatsendingareportermaycausefamiliestochangetheirminds.•Aschildrenwewerealwayscausingourparentstrouble.•Thepowerfailurecausedthewholecomputersystemtoshutdown.•Trytoisolatetheproblemsthatarecausingyouthemostdifficulty.causeconcern/uncertainty/embarrassmentetc•Finally,thepossibleactionsofcaremanagerscauseconcern.•Virtuallyeveryorganizationhasemployeeswhoseemtocauseconcern.•Werecognisethatreportingoftheissuehascausedconcern.•Theinaccurateeconomicpredictionsshouldcauseconcernaboutthereliabilityofthefinancialbenefitsofannexation.•TheannouncementwillcauseconcernintheMiddleEast,wherewaterisoneofthemostsensitivestrategicissues.•Heseemedtobegenuinelyhorrifiedattheprospectofcausingembarrassmentordisappointmentorinconveniencetoanotherperson.•Thesedifferfromoneculturetoanotherandcanconsequentlybemisinterpretedandcauseembarrassmentorsuspicion. Relatedtopics:Lawcausecause2●●●S2W1noun    1WHATCAUSESsomething[countable]CAUSEaperson,event,orthingthatmakessomethinghappen→effectcauseof  BreastcanceristheleadingcauseofdeathforAmericanwomenintheir40s.  It’sourjobtoestablishthecauseofthefire.2GOODREASON[uncountable]REASONafactthatmakesitrightorreasonableforyoutofeelorbehaveinaparticularwaySYNreasoncausefor  Thereisnocauseforalarm.  Thepatient’sconditionisgivingcauseforconcern.  Thepresentpoliticalclimategiveslittlecauseforoptimism.have(good)causetodosomething  Hisfatherhasgoodcausetobeproudofhim.with/withoutgoodcause  Manypeopleareworriedabouttheeconomy,andwithgoodcause.3somethingYOUSUPPORT[countable]anaim,belief,ororganizationthatagroupofpeoplesupportorfightfor  MyfatherfoughtfortheNationalistcause.causeof  herlifelongdevotiontothecauseofwomen’srights  Hehaschampionedthecauseofindependence(=hehassupporteditpublicly).  Youcangetfit,andatthesametimeraisemoneyforaworthycause.  Pleasegivegenerously–it’sallinagoodcause(=doneinordertohelppeople). 4→have/makecommoncause(with/againstsomebody)5LAW[countable]lawSCLacasethatisbroughttoacourtoflaw→lostcauseGRAMMAR:Comparisoncause•Yousaythecauseofsomething:Whatwasthecauseoftheproblem?✗Don’tsay:thecausefortheproblem•Yousaythereiscauseforconcern/alarm/complaintetc:Thedoctorsaidtherewascauseforconcern.✗Don’tsay:Therewasacauseforconcern.reason•Yousaythereasonforsomething:Whatdoyouthinkwasthereasonfortheirsuccess?✗Don’tsay:thereasonoftheirsuccess•Youtalkaboutthereasonwhysomethinghappens:Canyoutellmethereasonwhyyoudidthis?COLLOCATIONS–Meaning1:aperson,event,orthingthatmakessomethinghappenadjectivesacommoncauseofsomethingAlcoholisthemostcommoncauseofroadaccidents.themain/primarycauseofsomethingSmokingisthemaincauseoflungdisease.amajor/leadingcauseofsomethingInthiscountry,debtisamajorcauseofhomelessness.Drugabuseistheleadingcauseofcrimeandviolence.adirect/indirectcauseGovernmentpoliciesarethedirectcauseoftheproblemsfacingtheeconomy.therootcause(=themostbasiccause)Peopleoftendealwiththesymptomsratherthantherootcauseofaproblem.thefundamental/underlyingcause(=therootcause)Theunderlyingcauseofinsomniaisoftenanxiety.theprobable/likelycauseTheprobablecauseofthefirewasfaultywiring.verbsdiscover/findthecauseAninvestigationhasfailedtodiscoverthecauseoftheepidemic.determine/establish/identifythecause(=discoverdefinitelywhatitis)Ateamofexpertsisatthesceneoftheaccident,tryingtodeterminethecause.investigatethecausePolicearestillinvestigatingthecauseofthefire.phrasesthecauseofdeathAsnakebitewasthecauseofdeath.dieof/fromnaturalcauses(=dieofillness,oldageetc,notbecauseofanaccidentorcrime)Hediedfromnaturalcauses,believedtobeaheartattack.causeandeffect(=theideathatonethingdirectlycausesanother)Whathappenedwassimplyaquestionofcauseandeffect. COLLOCATIONS–Meaning3:anaim,belief,ororganizationthatagroupofpeoplesupportorfightforadjectivesagoodcause(=onethatisworthsupporting,forexampleacharity)Themoneyweareraisingisforagoodcause.aworthy/deservingcause(=agoodcause)TheRedCrossisaveryworthycause.ajustcause(=anaimthatisfairandright)Therebelsbelievedthattheywerefightingforajustcause.anoblecause(=anaimthatismorallygood)Hediedforanoblecause.theNationalist/Republicanetccause(=theiraimsandorganization)TheelectionresultswereaseriousblowtotheNationalistcause.verbssupportacauseGivingmoneyisonlyonewayofsupportingagoodcause.fightforacause(=takeactiontoachieveanaim)Youngpeopleoftenwanttofightforacause.championacause(=publiclysupportanaim)Hehaschampionedthecauseofrenewableenergysincethe1980s.advance/further/promoteacause(=helptoachieveanaim)Hedidmuchtoadvancethecauseoffreedom.becommittedtoacause(=believeinanaimverystrongly)Wearecommittedtothecauseofracialjustice.besympathetictoacause(=understandanaim,andpossiblysupportit)Theyhopethenewpresidentwillbesympathetictotheircause. ExamplesfromtheCorpuscause•Theserebelsfelttheyhadacause.•I'veneverhadanycausetocomplainaboutmydoctor.•Also,effectsrequireoralternativelyrequireotherconditionsaswellascauses.•Theimmediatecauseoflastweek'sblackoutswasalargepowerplantsuddenlygoingofflineinNorthernCalifornia.•Thepersistenceofblacktroubles,andthelossoffaithintheoldintegrationistcause,hasdiscreditedtraditionalblackleaders.•Henolongerlovedher,andwithjustcause,becauseshehadbetrayedhim.•Wehavelittlesympathyforpeoplewholeavetheirjobswithoutjustcause.•Thereisnocauseforalarmaboutthesafetyofdrinkingwater.•Severalothercauses,accordingtotheirfindings,oftenlieattherootofviolenceagainsttenants.•Ourcauseisjust,andwearepreparedtogiveourlivesforit.•Therootcauseofthecurrentenergycrisisisthatwesimplyusetoomuchenergy.•Buttheverypeoplewhoarethecauseoftheproblemhavetobepartofthesolution.•Investigatorsarestilltryingtodeterminethecauseoftheaccident.•Doctorscannotfindacurefortheillnessuntiltheyhaveidentifiedthecause.•Thousandsdiedinthecauseoffreedom.•Thistime,materialprogressdidnotservethecauseoftheChurch.•ThecauseofSocialismisnotdead.•Lastly,theywanttogivetaxadvantagestocausesdeemedworthy,oratleastpopular.•Moneyfromthecharitydinnerwillgotocauseschosenbytheguests.•Thechild'sbehaviourisgivinguscauseforconcern.causeof•Airlineofficialsrefusedtocommentonthecauseofthecrash.•EleanorRooseveltisrememberedforherdevotiontothecauseofwomen'srights.causefor•FAAofficialsseenocauseforalarminsafetyprocedures.inagoodcause•ButWilltookitlyingdown-allinagoodcauseofcourse.•Hell,forgiveandforgetbecauseit'sallinagoodcause.•It'sallinagoodcause.6.•Therespeaksthenineteenthcentury:allgone,butinagoodcause.•Thereisnoexcuseforinflictingthemonyourfellow-citizensbysayingitisdoneinagoodcause.•Itwasinagoodcause.Origincause1(1200-1300)OldFrenchLatincausa Quizzes Quizzes Takeourquickquizzestopractiseyourvocabulary. Wehavethousandsofsix-questionquizzestotry. Choosefromcollocations,synonyms,phrasalverbsandmore. Moreresults causecélèbre proximatecause causeofaction RebelWithoutaCause lostcause ,causeandeffectdiagram cause/kickup/makeetcastink Seeallresults Picturesoftheday Whatarethese? Clickonthepicturestocheck. Exploretopics Nutrition Alternativemedicine Businessmanagement Performing Seealltopics Wordoftheday pickpocket someonewhostealsthingsfrompeople’spockets,especiallyinacrowd VerbtablecausePresentI,you,we,theycausehe,she,itcauses >ViewMore PastI,you,he,she,it,we,theycausedPresentperfectI,you,we,theyhavecausedhe,she,ithascausedPastperfectI,you,he,she,it,we,theyhadcausedFutureI,you,he,she,it,we,theywillcauseFutureperfectI,you,he,she,it,we,theywillhavecaused >ViewLess PresentIamcausinghe,she,itiscausing >ViewMore you,we,theyarecausingPastI,he,she,itwascausingyou,we,theywerecausingPresentperfectI,you,we,theyhavebeencausinghe,she,ithasbeencausingPastperfectI,you,he,she,it,we,theyhadbeencausingFutureI,you,he,she,it,we,theywillbecausingFutureperfectI,you,he,she,it,we,theywillhavebeencausing >ViewLess