contributing factor

noun

: something that helps cause a result
According to the police report of the accident, excessive speed was a contributing factor.
—often + to/in
The coach's positive attitude was a contributing factor to/in the team's success.

Examples of contributing factor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The end of the moratorium on student loan payments is another contributing factor. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 The lack of access to institutional credit and chronic indebtedness is also seen by some researchers as a contributing factor to the phenomenon of farmer suicides in rural India. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 Aug. 2026 The report also cited Lemmon’s decision to reject the takeoff at high speed as a contributing factor and listed a design flaw in the thrust reverser system, which also contributed to the crash. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026 Wednesday's testimony suggested the concentration of antidepressants and antipsychotics in her system was relatively low and not a contributing factor to suicide or other extreme acts, in Brower's opinion. — Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for contributing factor

Rhymes for contributing factor

See All Rhymes for contributing factor

Browse Nearby Words

contribute
contributing factor
contribution
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Contributing factor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/contributing%20factor. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All