Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Because
Be-cause′
,c
onj.
[OE.
bycause
; by
+ cause
.] 1.
By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.
Milton.
2.
In order that; that.
[Obs.]
And the multitude rebuked them
because
they should hold their peace. Matt. xx. 31.
Because of
, by reason of, on account of.
[Prep. phrase.]
Because of
these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. Eph. v. 6.
These particles are used, in certain connections, to assign the reason of a thing, or that “on account of” which it is or takes place. Because (by cause) is the strongest and most emphatic; as, I hid myself because I was afraid. For is not quite so strong; as, in Shakespeare, “I hate him, for he is a Christian.” Since is less formal and more incidental than because; as, I will do it since you request me. It more commonly begins a sentence; as, Since your decision is made, I will say no more. As is still more incidental than since, and points to some existing fact by way of assigning a reason. Thus we say, as I knew him to be out of town, I did not call. Inasmuch as seems to carry with it a kind of qualification which does not belong to the rest. Thus, if we say, I am ready to accept your proposal, inasmuch as I believe it is the best you can offer, we mean, it is only with this understanding that we can accept it.
Webster 1828 Edition
Because
BECAUSE
, becauz' a compound word. [ See By and Cause.]By cause, or by the cause; on this account; for the cause which is explained in the next proposition; for the reason next explained. Thus, I fled, because I was afraid, is to be thus resolved; I fled, by the cause, for the cause, which is mentioned in the next affirmation, viz. I was afraid. Hence, cause being a noun, because may be regularly followed by of.
The spirit is life, because of righteousness.
Because of these cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
Definition 2024
because
because
English
Alternative forms
Adverb
because (not comparable)
- (archaic) For the reason (that).
- 1611, Authorized King James Version of Genesis 2:3:
- And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
- 1611, Authorized King James Version of Genesis 2:3:
- On account (of), for sake (of).
- My life is ruined because of you!
- Used alone to refuse to provide a full answer a question begun with "why", often taken as an ellipsis of "Because I said so".
Derived terms
Translations
on account
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Conjunction
because
- By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.
- I hid myself because I was afraid.
- 1898, Winston Churchill, chapter 1, in The Celebrity:
- I was about to say that I had known the Celebrity from the time he wore kilts. But I see I will have to amend that, because he was not a celebrity then, nor, indeed, did he achieve fame until some time after I left New York for the West.
- 2013 May-June, Katrina G. Claw, “Rapid Evolution in Eggs and Sperm”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 3:
- In plants, the ability to recognize self from nonself plays an important role in fertilization, because self-fertilization will result in less diverse offspring than fertilization with pollen from another individual.
- 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 17, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
- “Perhaps it is because I have been excommunicated. It's absurd, but I feel like the Jackdaw of Rheims.” ¶ She winced and bowed her head. Each time that he spoke flippantly of the Church he caused her pain.
- As is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that.
- It must be broken, because I pressed the button and nothing happened.
- He's not a nice guy, because he yells at people for no reason.
- (obsolete) So that, in order that. [15th-17th c.]
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.3.2:
- Simon […] set the house on fire where he was born, because nobody should point at it.
- 1621, Robert Burton, The Anatomy of Melancholy, II.3.2:
Synonyms
- (for the reason that): therefore, since, for, for that, forthy, for sake, forwhy, as, inasmuch as, ∵ (mathematics symbol)
Translations
by or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that
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as known because; as inferred because; as determined because
Preposition
because
- (uncommon, slang, chiefly Internet) On account of, because of. [since at least the 20th century]
- I went to the store because hungry.
Derived terms
Statistics
References
- Glossa, volume 17 (1997), page 175: cf. Emonds 1976:175 on the analysis of Modern English because as a preposition introducing a clause