Word · CEFR B2 · Frequency #476
cause
原因；起因
an event, thing, or person that makes something happen; the origin of an effect
- 1.
A goal, aim or principle, especially one which transcends purely selfish ends.
目标、宗旨或原则,尤其是超越纯粹自私目的的
- 2.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
提供某事物起源之生成力量的事件
- 3.
A suit or action in court; any legal process by which a party endeavors to obtain his claim, or what he regards as his right; case; ground of action.
法院的诉讼或行动；任何法律程序,旨在使一方获得其主张或认为的权利；案件；诉讼理由
- 4.
a justification for something existing or happening
存在或发生的理由
- 5.
a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end
推进原则或趋向特定目标的一系列行动
理由；根据；事业；目标；运动；诉讼；案件；目标、宗旨或原则,尤其是超越纯粹自私目的的；提供某事物起源之生成力量的事件
In use
The heavy rain was the cause of the flood.
She is fighting for a just cause.
There is no cause for alarm.
they are trying to determine the cause of the crash
he had no cause to complain
they worked in the cause of world peace
Connections
Collocations
- cause of
- …的原因
- The cause of the accident is still unknown.事故的原因仍然未知。
- root cause
- 根本原因
- We need to find the root cause of the problem.我们需要找到问题的根本原因。
- common cause
- 共同目标；常见原因
- They made common cause against the enemy.他们联手对抗敌人。
- lost cause
- 注定失败的事业
- His attempt to save the company was a lost cause.他挽救公司的努力注定失败。
- cause célèbre
- 轰动一时的事件
- The trial became a cause célèbre in the media.这场审判成为了媒体轰动一时的事件。
Idioms & figurative uses
Learner notes
Memory Tip
cause（原因）藏在because（因为）里。
Context & Register
register: neutral; contexts: 法律/科学讨论、社会活动; note_zh: 作为名词时，通常指原因或事业，适用于正式和中立场合。
Grammar Note
作可数名词，常与of或for搭配表示原因或理由。
Pronunciation & Spelling
上述单词均与cause押韵（/ɔːz/）。注意：拼写以-ause结尾，但不可仅凭拼写判断发音。
High-value vocabulary
该词属于 Oxford 核心词汇，值得优先掌握常见搭配和句型。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 5，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from DICTIONARY_API_DEV, ECDICT, WIKTIONARY.