verb · academic
attribute
/əˈtrɪb.juːt/a·TRIB·ute
to say or believe that something is caused by someone or something
Examples
“Researchers attribute the decline to changes in diet and exercise.”
“She attributed her success to hard work and a supportive family.”
“Errors are often attributed to human factors rather than equipment failure.”
Band 8 sentence
“The decline in biodiversity is largely attributed to habitat loss and human activity.”
Collocations
- attribute something to something
- be attributed to
Word family
Common mistakes
They attribute the problem with lack of money.→They attribute the problem to a lack of money.
Researches attribute that climate change caused migration.→Researchers attribute migration to climate change.
Say it for a higher band
5put down to→6ascribe→7+attribute
Synonyms
ascribe
Easily confused
ascribe
“Many critics ascribe the artist's success to a mix of talent and good timing.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In Sublist 5
Learn it with its set