cause

noun, verb

1 [C] the person or thing that makes sth happen: Unemployment is a major cause of poverty. * There was discussion about the fire and its likely cause. * Drinking and driving is one of the most common causes of traffic accidents. 2 [U] ~ (for sth) a reason for having particular feelings or behaving in a particular way: There is no cause for concern. * The food was excellent-I had no cause for complaint. * with / without good cause (= with / without a good reason) 3 [C] an organization or idea that people support or fight for: Animal welfare campaigners raised ｣70000 for their cause last year. * a good cause (= an organization that does good work, such as a charity) * fighting for the Republican cause * The donation is the biggest private gift to a humanitarian cause. seealsoLOSTCAUSE 4 [C] (law) a case that goes to a court of law IDIOMS be for / in a good cause worth doing, because it is helping other people moreatCOMMONadj. verb to make sth happen, especially sth bad or unpleasant: [VN] Do they know what caused the fire? * Are you causing trouble again? * Doctors say her condition is causing some concern. * The bad weather is causing problems for many farmers. * deaths caused by dangerous driving * [VNtoinf] The poor harvest caused prices to rise sharply. * [VNN] The project is still causing him a lot of problems. ______________________________ WHICHWORD? cause / reason / purpose The cause of something is what makes it happen: We do not yet know the cause of the accident. A reason explains something: He has given no reasons for his decision. * There are several reasons why this is my favourite book. You talk about the reason for (not the reason of) something, but the cause of (not the cause for) something. The purpose of something you do is the reason for doing it, the thing that you hope to achieve: The purpose of the trip is to raise funds for the election campaign. ______________________________