Meaning & use
good cause
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Meanings
noununcountableformallegallaw
A legally or officially acceptable reason that justifies an action or decision.
Grammar: Used without 'a' in fixed phrases: show good cause, without good cause.
Patterns
- show good cause
- without good cause
- good cause for something
- there is good cause to do something
The landlord must show good cause before ending the tenancy.
The committee found good cause to extend the deadline.
She was dismissed without good cause, so she appealed.
nouncountable
A morally worthy aim or organization that deserves support.
Grammar: Here it is countable and often appears as 'a good cause': give money to a good cause.
Patterns
- a good cause
- donate to a good cause
- support a good cause
- for a good cause
All the money raised goes to a good cause.
He runs the marathon every year for a good cause.
Common combinations
- show good cause
- The employer must show good cause for the dismissal.
- without good cause
- You cannot cancel the contract without good cause.
- good cause for something
- There was no good cause for such a delay.
- give to a good cause
- She gives to a good cause every December.
- a worthy cause
- The shelter is a worthy cause that needs volunteers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- justification
- A broader word for any reason that makes something reasonable; 'good cause' is the fixed legal phrase used in rules and rulings.
- grounds
- Often plural and used in legal contexts (grounds for divorce); it is close in meaning but appears in different fixed phrases.
- reason
- The everyday, neutral word; 'good cause' adds the idea that the reason is strong enough to be officially accepted.
Word family
Commonly confused: good cause or just cause?
good cause vs just cause
The American legal phrase for a fair reason to dismiss an employee; 'good cause' is the more general term used in many legal systems.
Practice
The tenant may only be evicted ______ good cause.
Choose one answer.
'With good cause' means there is an acceptable legal reason; 'without good cause' would mean no reason exists, which reverses the sentence's meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “good cause”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.