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to be due

to be due

374 3.0
To happen because of something
  • phrasal verb
  • /bi du/
translation icon : deberse a
  • Some speculate that the bankruptcy was due to poor management.
  • be due to a lack
  • be due to the fact
  • be due to several factors

In fact, Red success was due in part to improvisation.

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Examples

  • Most of this increase in the value of the stock market is due to Egyptian investing.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Washington's persistent difficulties in Afghanistan are due to the Obama administration's mission creep.

    Academic text (2011)
  • I mean, some could be due to certain parts of your your body.

  • According to your letter, you were due to arrive yesterday.

  • So that much higher chance of those symptoms being due to COVID.

    ZOE
  • The doctor says it's due to insufficient diet.

  • The cause, in no uncertain terms, is described as being due to biological and genetic factors.

    Academic text (1990)
  • The models' credibility among policymakers appears to be due to a number of factors.

    Academic text (1999)
  • It's like I said before, Lou's longevity is due more to common sense than to luck.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Many of the reported side effects were due to the new medication's formula.

Synonyms

to come with
vsto be due
128 3.9

A result that happens because of something, for example more work after a promotion

is described as being caused by something rather than as a natural consequence
to flow from
vsto be due
15 3.4

To happen because of something that came before

is stated as being caused by or the result of something

Antonyms

94 3.5

Not connected to the topic or cause

Surface Forms

be due infinitive
was due past
been due past participle
being due present participle
is due third person singular

Morphology

be + due

The meaning 'to be caused by' is directly derivable from combining the verb 'be' with the adjective 'due' (meaning caused by/resulting from), so a learner who knows both words can infer the MWE. The construction 'be + due (to)' is a transparent adjectival predication with clear cross-linguistic parallels (e.g. Spanish 'debido a', French 'dû à'), supporting immediate comprehension.

Etymology

Be due may come from the idea of owing something: if a payment is 'due', it is 'owed' and must be paid. So if X is due to Y, imagine X being 'owed' to Y, and that image shows why it means 'to be caused by' or 'to come from' Y.