{
    "term": "cause",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "the person or thing that makes something happen",
            "sensetop": "cause (of something)",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Unemployment is a major cause of poverty."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The report ignores the **root cause** of the problem."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Smoking is the **leading cause** of lung cancer."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Drinking and driving is one of the most **common causes** of traffic accidents."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It was impossible to **determine the cause** of death."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There was discussion about the fire and its likely cause."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He died of **natural causes**."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It is not easy to separate **cause and effect** in this situation."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Heart disease remains the most common cause of death globally."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The precise cause of the accident is not known."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The real cause of the problem lies in the poor construction of the bridge."
                },
                {
                    "text": "What are the causes of the crisis?"
                },
                {
                    "text": "attempts to identify the immediate cause of the breakdown"
                },
                {
                    "text": "the causes of blindness"
                },
                {
                    "text": "the root cause of the problem"
                },
                {
                    "text": "the social causes of ill health"
                },
                {
                    "text": "She regarded me as the cause of all her problems."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They are still trying to identify the immediate cause of the breakdown."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Change, cause and effect"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["real", "root", "true"],
                "verb + cause": ["determine", "discover", "find"],
                "cause + verb": ["be", "lie in something", "remain"],
                "preposition": ["cause of"],
                "phrases": [
                    "cause and effect",
                    "the cause of death",
                    "due to natural causes"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a reason for having particular feelings or behaving in a particular way",
            "sensetop": "cause for somethingwith/without cause",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "There is no **cause for concern**.",
                    "contextForm": "cause for something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The food was excellent—I had no cause for complaint."
                },
                {
                    "text": "If your child is absent without **good cause** *(= a good reason)*, you may receive a warning from the school board.",
                    "contextForm": "with/without cause"
                },
                {
                    "text": "A greater cause for resentment is the discrepancy in pay."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Her health is giving us great cause for concern."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The experts may find cause to disagree with the school's decision."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The onus is on government departments to show cause why information cannot be disclosed."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There is no cause for alarm."
                },
                {
                    "text": "There is no reasonable cause to suspect an unnatural death."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We have good cause to believe that he was involved in the crime."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["good", "great", "real"],
                "verb + cause": ["have", "find", "give (somebody)"],
                "preposition": ["cause for"],
                "phrases": [
                    "cause for concern",
                    "with good cause",
                    "without good cause"
                ]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "an organization or idea that people support or fight for",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Animal welfare campaigners raised £70 000 for their cause last year."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a **good/worthy cause** *(= an organization that does good work, such as a charity)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He dedicated his life to fighting for the Republican cause."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The donation is the biggest private gift to a humanitarian cause."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She has long **championed the cause** of civil liberties."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He pleaded the cause of the local fishermen."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She has taken up the cause of animal rights."
                },
                {
                    "text": "I was keen to do anything that would further the cause."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The different groups support a common cause."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The money she left went to various worthy causes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "young men willing to fight for the cause"
                },
                {
                    "text": "prominent figures in the socialist cause"
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["deserving", "good", "just"],
                "verb + cause": ["advance", "champion", "embrace"],
                "preposition": [
                    "for the cause of",
                    "in the cause of",
                    "in a/​the cause"
                ],
                "phrases": ["(all) for a good cause", "(all) in a good cause"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 4,
            "definition": "a case that goes to court",
            "labels": "(law)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "worth doing, because it is helping other people",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Oh well, it's all for a good cause."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The function took a lot of organizing, but was all for/in a good cause."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "in order to support or defend something",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "He gave his life in the cause of freedom."
                },
                {
                    "text": "battles fought in the cause of decentralization"
                },
                {
                    "text": "to disregard the strict letter of the law in the cause of true justice"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be united with somebody about something that you both agree on, believe in or wish to achieve",
            "labels": "(formal)",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Discussion and agreement"]
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɔːz/",
                "audio": "ca/cause/cause__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/kɔːz/",
                "audio": "ca/cause/cause__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "Middle English: from Old French, from Latin causa (noun), causare (verb)."
}