• • (British) IPA: /bɪˈkɒz/
  • (UK, dated) IPA: /bɪˈkɔːz/
  • (America) IPA: /biˈkɔz/, /biˈkʌz/, /bəˈkʌz/
  • IPA: /bɪkəz/

because (not comparable)

1. (archaic) For the reason (that).
   • 1611, Authorized King James Version of Genesis 2:3:

     And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

2. On account (of), for sake (of).

   My life is ruined because of you!

3. (by ellipsis) Used alone to refuse to provide a full answer a question begun with "why", usually taken as an anapodoton of the elided full phrase "Because I said so".

• French: à cause de, parce que, à cause que
• German: wegen
• Italian: perché, imperciocchè, poiché, siccome
• Portuguese: porque, pois, que, por causa de, devido a
• Russian: и́з-за
• Spanish: porque

1. By or for the cause that; on this account that; for the reason that.

   I hid myself because I was afraid.

2. As is known, inferred, or determined from the fact that.

   It must be broken, because I pressed the button and nothing happened.

   I don't think he is a nice person, because he yells at people for no reason.

3. (obsolete) So that, in order that. [15th-17th c.]
   • 1624, Democritus Junior [pseudonym; Robert Burton], The Anatomy of Melancholy: […], 2nd edition, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Printed by John Lichfield and James Short, for Henry Cripps, OCLC 54573970 ↗, partition II, section 3, member 2:

     Simon […] set the house on fire where he was born, because nobody should point at it.

• (for the reason that) therefore, since, for, for that, forthy, for sake, forwhy (obsolete), as, inasmuch as, sith (obsolete), ∵ (mathematics symbol); see also Thesaurus:because

• French: parce que, car, à cause que
• German: weil, denn, da
• Italian: perché
• Portuguese: porque, já que
• Russian: потому́ что
• Spanish: porque, ya que, por cuanto

• German: denn
• Portuguese: porque
• Russian: потому́ что
• Spanish: ya que, por cuanto

1. (uncommon, slang, nonstandard, especially, Internet) On account of, because of. [since at least the 20th century]

   I went to the store because hungry.