meant to cause

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "meant to cause" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to indicate that something was done or intended with the purpose of causing something else. For example, "The strike was meant to cause disruption to the government."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

58 human-written examples

It was not meant to cause any".

Independent

"I don't think he meant to cause offence.

The Guardian

Mr. Farnsworth said he never meant to cause any rifts and apologized for any miscommunication.

The New York Times

"I never meant to cause Goldman any harm," the Russian-born Mr. Aleynikov said in a heavy accent.

The New York Times

As explained by the Guardian, the actions of the American team were not meant to cause offence.

The Guardian - Sport

Here, the sacred is not meant to cause wonder, but to impose order and obedience and curb visceral urges.

The Guardian - Opinion

He maintains that he never meant to cause such controversy and he continues to teach at Stevens Creek.

The New Yorker

He told the court that he was sorry and never meant to cause any anxiety or to upset anyone.

The New York Times

He probably meant to cause a stir in Munich even before Mr Gates last week listed Russia's "uncertain path" among America's military concerns.

The Economist

"Our intentions were light-hearted and not meant to cause any offence, but clearly we have, and for that we apologise.

Independent

Rather, they have questioned whether the attacks were meant to cause bodily harm and had religious motives, conditions needed to satisfy the 2009 federal hate-crimes law.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "meant to cause", ensure the context clearly establishes the intention behind the action. For example, "The new policy was "meant to cause" a shift in company culture."

Common error

Avoid confusing "meant to cause" with unintended consequences. Ensure the sentence structure reflects deliberate intent, not accidental outcomes. Example: Instead of "The changes, though "meant to cause" improvement, led to delays", use "Although "meant to cause" improvement, the changes led to delays."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "meant to cause" functions as a purpose connector, indicating the intended result or consequence of an action or event. Ludwig examples demonstrate its use in explaining motivations and anticipated outcomes.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

95%

Wiki

2%

Science

1%

Less common in

Formal & Business

1%

Reference

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, "meant to cause" is a versatile phrase used to express the intended outcome of an action. As confirmed by Ludwig, it is grammatically correct and widely used, particularly in news and media contexts. While its register is generally neutral, careful attention should be paid to sentence structure to avoid misinterpretations. Consider alternatives like "intended to create" or "designed to elicit" for nuanced expression.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Intended to create

Focuses on the deliberate intention behind an action.

Designed to elicit

Highlights the aim of drawing out a specific response or reaction.

Aimed at generating

Emphasizes the goal of producing or bringing about something.

Calculated to provoke

Suggests a strategic intent to incite a particular reaction.

Predisposed to trigger

Implies a natural tendency or susceptibility to initiating something.

Likely to bring about

Indicates a high probability of a certain outcome occurring.

Set to instigate

Highlights the act of initiating or stirring up an event or situation.

With the purpose of

States the explicit goal or objective of an action.

So as to bring about

Similar to "with the purpose of" but emphasizes the result.

In an effort to spark

Highlights the initiation of a new event or reaction with particular effort.

FAQs

How can I use "meant to cause" in a sentence?

Use "meant to cause" to describe an action or event that was deliberately intended to produce a specific result. For example, "The advertising campaign was "meant to cause" excitement about the product."

What are some alternatives to "meant to cause"?

You can use alternatives like "intended to create", "designed to elicit", or "aimed at generating" depending on the nuance you want to convey.

Is it correct to say "was meant to caused"?

No, the correct form is "was meant to cause". The verb 'cause' should be in its base form after 'to'.

What's the difference between "meant to cause" and "likely to cause"?

"Meant to cause" implies a deliberate intention, while "likely to cause" suggests a high probability of something happening, regardless of intent.