cause damage
/kɔːz ˈdæmɪdʒ/
Meaning
To result in physical harm, destruction, or negative consequences to something or someone. It is a common collocation used to describe the effects of accidents, storms, or careless behavior.
Examples
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The heavy rainfall is likely to cause damage to the crops.
The heavy rainfall is likely to cause damage to the crops.
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Be careful with that heavy box; dropping it could cause damage to the floor.
Be careful with that heavy box; dropping it could cause damage to the floor.
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The scandal didn't just hurt his reputation; it caused damage to the entire company.
The scandal didn't just hurt his reputation; it caused damage to the entire company.
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Strong winds can cause severe damage to power lines.
Strong winds can cause severe damage to power lines.
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Smoking is known to cause irreversible damage to your lungs.
Smoking is known to cause irreversible damage to your lungs.
Common Mistakes
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✗ The storm made a lot of damages to the roof.
✓ The storm caused a lot of damage to the roof.
'Damage' is typically uncountable when referring to physical harm, and it collocates with 'cause', not 'make'.
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✗ The car accident caused damage on my bicycle.
✓ The car accident caused damage to my bicycle.
We use the preposition 'to' after 'damage' to indicate what was harmed, not 'on'.
Related Expressions
Practice
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The earthquake didn't ___ to the main bridge.
💡 Result in physical harm (2 words)
Show answer
cause damage
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Using the wrong charger might ___ to your phone's battery.
💡 Harm or ruin the battery (2 words)
Show answer
cause damage