cause and effect
noun
plural causes and effects
: the direct relationship between an action or event and its consequence or result
There was an accident, so traffic was at a standstill. The gravitational pull of the moon causes the tides of the ocean. I stuck to a training plan, so I finished my race strong. Cause and effect is a concept we all learn in grade school, and we see it play out in hundreds of circumstances every day.—
Ben Gibson
Ben Gibson"Human nature is to look for cause and effect," says Robert Baloh, professor of neurology and head and neck surgery at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. … "I see this daily when I see patients. They're all sure something they ate or something they did caused their problem and their symptoms."—Frank Bures
Frank Bures… focused on observable and verifiable causes and effects in the natural world …—Rafi Eis
Rafi EisExamples of cause and effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
One of the symptoms of these disorders — which affect as many as 5% of American children — is a limited ability to understand cause and effect.
—Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 24 June 2024
Rauber cautions that the study could not parse cause and effect.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 24 June 2024
That, in turn, frees them up to amass more money, until cause and effect become impossible to distinguish.
—George Packer, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2011
There may be no way today to prove cause and effect with your particular vaccine injury.
—Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, STAT, 11 June 2024
The framework also has implications for understanding the tricky question of cause and effect in complex and emergent systems.
—Quanta Magazine, 10 June 2024
Just fill it with water and then set it on a flat surface, like a high chair tray or the floor, and watch your baby pat it and move the little fish inside (which also introduces them to cause and effect).
—Ashley Ziegler, Parents, 8 June 2024
Tackling climate change causes and effects Palm’s is one of two bills that have been the purview of the Environment Committee.
—Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 23 Apr. 2024
The problem is that this evidence came mostly from observational studies, a type of analysis that can't show cause and effect and that might produce misleading results, Manson says.
—Christie Aschwanden, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
Jennifer Brookland, Detroit Free Press, 24 June 2024
Rauber cautions that the study could not parse cause and effect.
—Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 24 June 2024
That, in turn, frees them up to amass more money, until cause and effect become impossible to distinguish.
—George Packer, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2011
There may be no way today to prove cause and effect with your particular vaccine injury.
—Kizzmekia S. Corbett-Helaire, STAT, 11 June 2024
The framework also has implications for understanding the tricky question of cause and effect in complex and emergent systems.
—Quanta Magazine, 10 June 2024
Just fill it with water and then set it on a flat surface, like a high chair tray or the floor, and watch your baby pat it and move the little fish inside (which also introduces them to cause and effect).
—Ashley Ziegler, Parents, 8 June 2024
Tackling climate change causes and effects Palm’s is one of two bills that have been the purview of the Environment Committee.
—Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 23 Apr. 2024
The problem is that this evidence came mostly from observational studies, a type of analysis that can't show cause and effect and that might produce misleading results, Manson says.
—Christie Aschwanden, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cause and effect.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near cause and effect
Cite this Entry
“Cause and effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cause%20and%20effect. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
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