attributing

verb

present participle of attribute
1
as in ascribing
to explain (something) as being the result of something else attributed the quick rescue to the well-trained police force

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in explaining
to give the reason for or cause of a psychotherapist who's a little too quick to attribute every emotional problem or character defect to an unhappy childhood

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of attributing The gross margin outlook was a bit lower than expected, with Kress attributing the crunch to the relentless rise in memory prices, both for the remainder of this fiscal year and for fiscal 2028. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026 What is most challenging is to resist attributing to AI, through language alone, properties that the evidence has not yet established. — Hamilton Mann, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026 The city began planning the renovation of 16th Street in 2007, primarily attributing the increasing maintenance costs of its granite paver surface as the need for it. — Logan Smith, CBS News, 23 Aug. 2026 Boeing has admitted fault in these tragedies, attributing the cause of the crashes to a flawed Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2026 Smith said the award, which was given Saturday at the organization’s gala, had nothing to do with journalism, attributing the dishonor to board members unhappy with his political opinions. — Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Lucy Tobier Braun suggested potential legal challenges to his ability to extend the gas tax pause by attributing it to a new cause would be politically motivated. — Lucy Tobier, IndyStar, 6 Aug. 2026 The company, founded in 2020, cut staff earlier this year, attributing the reductions to its increasing allocation of resources toward prediction markets. — Dan Bernstein, Sportico.com, 30 July 2026 But attributing Morocco’s triumph to autocracy misses the point. — Joe Mathews, Mercury News, 28 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for attributing
  1. ascribing
  2. explaining
  3. crediting
  4. justifying
Verb
  • But most disagreed, ascribing them to abiotic reactions and stressing that, overall, the Viking data paint a picture of a dead planet.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 20 July 2026
  • Their vocabulary changes Shifts in language and attitude are usually the first signs your son may be ascribing to red pill ideology.
    — Sherri Gordon, Parents, 10 July 2026
Definition of ascribing
Verb
  • Before explaining what the technology can do, understand what the customer is trying to accomplish.
    — William Arruda, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • In the Situational Awareness fund move, Griffin sent investors a letter explaining Citadel’s stock actions with the AI company.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of explaining
Verb
  • In exchange, Trump wants his name on the façade crediting him with the restoration, which Lutnick said would happen after fundraising for a hospital or university building.
    — Emily R. Condon, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Under quantitative easing, the Fed buys Treasury securities and pays for them by crediting the reserve accounts of banks.
    — James Broughel, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of crediting
Verb
  • Former grand mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun, an Assad loyalist who was vocally in support of the government's policies, was convicted of inciting violence and justifying murder.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • The second, less visible but arguably more consequential, is that the capability gap justifying dependence on closed frontier labs has nearly disappeared.
    — Pawel Rzeszucinski, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of justifying

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attributes
attributing
attribution
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Cite this Entry

“Attributing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/attributing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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