ultimate cause

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Resuming the studies could pose challenges, and will likely depend on what doctors determine was the ultimate cause of the patient’s death.

From Barron's • Nov. 7, 2025

An emergency room doctor, who tried unsuccessfully to revive Mitchell, wrote, “I do believe hypothermia was the ultimate cause of his death,” according to the lawsuit filed Monday by Mitchell’s mother in federal court.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 17, 2023

Sure, it was the weapon of choice, but it wasn't the ultimate cause of death.

From Salon • Oct. 27, 2020

But if we are to look at these deaths as the Pima County pathologists do, as a kind of slow-motion epidemic, we must label the desert a proximate, not an ultimate, cause.

From New York Times • Aug. 18, 2020

Hence the next four chapters will explore how the ultimate cause of food production led to the proximate causes of germs, literacy, technology, and centralized government.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond