English · Idiom Historical

to make common cause

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

To work for the same object. Here "cause" is the legal term, meaning pro or con, as it may be, the cause or side of the question advocated.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Topics: Historical slang (1800s)

Common questions

What does “to make common cause” mean?

To work for the same object. Here "cause" is the legal term, meaning pro or con, as it may be, the cause or side of the question advocated.

Is “to make common cause” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.

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