CAUSES Synonyms: 157 Similar and Opposite Words

causes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of cause

as in creates

to be the cause of (a situation, action, or state of mind) the ice storm caused a massive power outage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

causes

2 of 2

noun

plural of cause

as in determinants

someone or something responsible for a result the much-debated causes of the war

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in campaigns

a series of activities undertaken to achieve a goal joined the freedom fighters' cause as a young man

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of causes

Verb

According to the Mayo Clinic, the condition causes a type of high blood pressure that affects the arteries in the lungs and the right side of the heart. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 Ordinarily, the subtle tilt in the moon's orbit causes its shadow to pass just below, or above our planet, missing it entirely. — Anthony Wood, Space.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Second, reactive homophily causes leaders to avoid diverse interactions due to fear, hindering genuine allyship. — Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 The debris trail that causes the Perseids comes from the comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes through this part of our solar system about every 130 years and was last seen in 1992. — Mike Lynch, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026 But there are real-world consequences if confusion over Fed policy causes severe turbulence in markets. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026 Salmonella commonly causes diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2026 Measles hospitalizes nearly 10% of its victims and causes pneumonia, sepsis and potentially fatal encephalitis. — Dr. Michael Good, Hartford Courant, 26 July 2026 Hollander said that if a driverless Waymo causes an accident, legal approaches may shift away from driver negligence. — Amaia Gavica, Miami Herald, 18 July 2026

Noun

Without tackling these root causes, the risk of future terrorist attacks will remain. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026 Leading medical groups, scientists, and autism patient advocacy groups have strongly rejected any continued pursuit of the disproven link, seeing it as fearmongering and a waste of precious time and resources to find real causes and treatments. — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026 Though most of the fires in Oregon and Washington have been attributed to natural causes, one suspect has been charged with arson in the Old Trails fire in Spokane. — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026 Kim, 49, a member of San Francisco’s board of supervisors from 2011 to 2019, has touted her advocacy for California’s first $15 minimum wage and making the city’s community college tuition free, among other progressive causes. — Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 Still, the billions of taxpayer dollars Congress has allocated for foreign aid programs must be spent; lawmakers have insisted the government continue to fund humanitarian aid, global health and pro-democracy causes around the world. — Anna Maria Barry-Jester, ProPublica, 7 Aug. 2026 Constipation has many possible causes, including medications, certain medical conditions, low physical activity, and insufficient fiber intake. — Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 7 Aug. 2026 Their latest causes involve preserving American history and protecting the world’s endangered species. — Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026 If your lawn isn’t thriving, the list of potential causes is long. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for causes

Verb

House races Craig's Senate candidacy creates an opening in the Second Congressional District, which Republicans have long wanted to flip.

— Diana Paulsen, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Experts warn this creates critical geopolitical chokepoints, threatening a Chinese monopoly on the global copper concentrate trade.

— Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of creates

Noun

Serlie and colleagues are now studying determinants of weight loss success after bariatric surgery.

— Crystal Gwizdala, Hartford Courant, 1 Aug. 2026
The World Health Organization recognizes that individual, social and structural determinants shape mental health and that promotion and prevention efforts need to address those determinants.

— Yujia Zhu, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Definition of determinants

Noun

Featuring two pads built for high-frequency flight campaigns, this addition brings Rocket Lab’s global network to six operational pads across two hemispheres, expanding beyond its active sites in New Zealand (LC-1) and Virginia (LC-2 and LC-3).

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
She’s worked with major brands from LEGO to Lululemon to Gucci and developed award-wining campaigns including Dream Big, Princess, and Force Friday.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of campaigns

Verb

Each of those also generates four to six other jobs in construction, retail and local services, according to Washington State analyses.

— Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026
Sekkouri said the industry has attracted around $100 million in investment and generates more than $1 billion in annual revenue in the country.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of generates

Noun

Someone who bought a Powerball ticket at a Front Range grocery store this week has many, many reasons to celebrate – 500,000 reasons before tax, to be exact.

— Katie Langford, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2026
Maresca knows that some players need a fresh start for various reasons, which is why James Trafford moved on, despite his close relationship with the Italian from their time together in the under-23s.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of reasons

Noun

Importantly, both behaviors were reached with the same printable material rather than requiring different materials for different movements.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Aug. 2026
Leads influence which records officers request and whose movements receive further scrutiny.

— Nicole M. Bennett, The Conversation, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of movements

Verb

The latter is a very eccentric and memorable fighter who always brings tons of energy into the Octagon.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Tony Dalton brings impressive menace to a superficially affable sheriff, and Laura Donnelly strikes the perfect balance between femme fatale and innocent love interest.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of brings

Cite this Entry

Style

“Causes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/causes. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of causes

verb

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on causes

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vacuous

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes