How to Use cause and effect in a Sentence

cause and effect

noun
  • Rauber cautions that the study could not parse cause and effect.
    — Lori Youmshajekian, Scientific American, 24 June 2024
  • The study has not yet been peer-reviewed and cannot prove cause and effect.
    — Allison Palmer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026
  • As a cause and effect, everyone around me has changed as well.
    — Kyle Buchanan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024
  • In an earthquake, cause and effect do not feel linear.
    — Pablo Larios, Artforum, 10 June 2026
  • That assertion gets both cause and effect wrong.
    — Tanvi Madan, Foreign Affairs, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Acne is complex, and there is not always a clear cause and effect.
    — Emma Sandler, Allure, 26 Nov. 2024
  • Studies on this question have not shown a direct cause and effect.
    — Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 21 Nov. 2025
  • These delightful toys teach cause and effect, hone fine and gross motor skills, and more.
    — Christine Luff, Parents, 22 Apr. 2024
  • One case in another sport, darts, demonstrates the cause and effect.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 June 2026
  • Like most research on the oral-systemic link, these studies can't prove cause and effect.
    — Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 5 Aug. 2024
  • There’s causality and cause and effect.
    — Damon Wise, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2025
  • As noted, the study doesn’t establish cause and effect.
    — Stephanie Anderson Witmer, Health, 27 Apr. 2026
  • So all the stuff that’s going on in society that’s the downfall of us is cause and effect.
    — Quentin Thane Singer, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2025
  • The jingly bell at the center adds some sensory fun to help littles learn about cause and effect.
    — Ashley Ziegler, Parents, 11 July 2024
  • At a very basic level, this kind of mistake helps a child understand cause and effect.
    — Kimberly Zapata, Parents, 19 Feb. 2026
  • In a world where context is clear and cause and effect is known (or can be determined), these are useful ideas and tools.
    — Kevin Eikenberry, Forbes, 25 Mar. 2025
  • This type of study can’t prove cause and effect, but the findings hint at a connection worth exploring.
    — Carla K. Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2025
  • 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 new findings suggest an association but do not show a clear cause and effect.
    — Lauren J. Young, Scientific American, 9 Feb. 2026
  • This led to a chain of cause and effect (a trophic cascade) that affected beavers, birds, and even the flow of the river.
    — Nitin Sekar, ArsTechnica, 5 Apr. 2025
  • There are too many variables to show a clear cause and effect on attendance and donor contributions.
    — Matt Baker, New York Times, 12 May 2026
  • While the study is observational and cannot prove cause and effect, its large sample size adds weight to the findings.
    — Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 June 2025
  • But deep learning is fundamentally blind to cause and effect.
    — Will Knight, WIRED, 8 Oct. 2019
  • The study could only show an association, not a direct cause and effect.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026
  • But a walk down Memory Lane is a good reminder that cause and effect didn’t always work this way.
    — WSJ, 15 Nov. 2023
  • That idea came from imperfect studies that largely didn’t include younger people and couldn’t prove cause and effect.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025
  • Observational studies like this one can’t prove cause and effect.
    — Sarah Garone, Health, 13 May 2026
  • Experts note the findings don’t prove cause and effect, but the conversation has shifted.
    — Allison Palmer, Kansas City Star, 23 Apr. 2026
  • So there’s a difference between trying to talk about cause and effect and excusing an action.
    — Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, 7 Nov. 2023
  • The part that's less straightforward is the nullification of cause and effect.
    — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 18 Sep. 2025

Some of 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.

Last Updated: