Meaning & use
noble cause
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Meaning
nouncountableapproving
A goal or movement that is widely seen as morally good and worth sacrifice, such as fighting poverty or protecting the vulnerable.
Grammar: Often follows 'a' or 'the': they gave money to a noble cause.
Patterns
- fight for a noble cause
- a noble cause for someone
She spends her weekends volunteering for a noble cause.
The marathon raised thousands of dollars for a noble cause.
He believed he was dying for a noble cause.
Word forms
| plural | noble causes |
|---|
Common combinations
- fight for a noble cause
- Nurses fought for a noble cause during the outbreak.
- donate to a noble cause
- Local shops donate to a noble cause each winter.
- in the name of a noble cause
- Terrible things were done in the name of a noble cause.
- serve a noble cause
- The old man felt his work served a noble cause.
- champion a noble cause
- The actor champions a noble cause by funding clean water.
Synonyms and how they differ
- worthy cause
- Worthy cause is the most common British variant and sounds gentler, while noble cause stresses moral greatness.
- good cause
- Good cause is plainer and suits everyday charity talk, whereas noble cause is more dignified.
- just cause
- Just cause emphasizes fairness or legal justification, while noble cause emphasizes moral worth.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: noble cause or noble corruption?
noble cause vs noble corruption
'Noble cause corruption' is a phrase for wrongdoing justified by a good aim; it does not mean a noble cause itself.
Practice
The charity run raised money for a ___ that helps children read.
Choose one answer.
After 'a' you need a singular noun phrase, so 'noble cause' is correct. 'Noble causes' is plural and 'nobility cause' is not a standard collocation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “noble cause”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.